Between Two Worlds
by delicate.desires
Summary: After finding herself in a different dimension, Sakura discovers that she has shinigami powers and feelings for two shinigami. When she is offered a chance to go home, will she take it? BleachNaruto crossover. Toushirou x Sakura x Hisagi DISCONTINUED.
1. The Proper Way To Thank Someone

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Bleach!

Title: Between Two Worlds

Summary: After finding herself in a different dimension, Sakura discovers that she has shinigami powers and feelings for two shinigami. When she is offered a chance to go home, will she take it? BleachNaruto crossover. Toushirou x Sakura x Hisagi

Yes, I know very well that the summary sucks ass. I might change it in the future if I come up with something better, but for now it's going to be that. Anyways, I read a couple of crossover stories and I really liked them, so I'm trying one of my own. If you do decide to comment on it, please be nice? It's my first crossover fic, and the characters are probably slightly more OOC.

This is a crossover fic between Bleach and Naruto. The pairing is Hitsugaya x Sakura. I've made Sakura slightly younger than usual. I just thought it would work better with the story since it's Whitey-chan she's paired up with. I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

Her mission had gone horribly wrong. It sounded so simple- head out, gather information, and head back. Sakura never thought she'd ever run into the imfamous Itachi Uchiha, nor have to actually fight him. She knew she was in a hopeless situation- the most she could do was hide for now. It was pathetic, and cowardly in a sense, but she knew her limits. At the age of eighteen, she was a strong kunoichi, jounin level, and the_ Hokage's _apprentice, but even then she knew she was no match for Itachi himself. Hell, he was in the ANBU when he was only a child! Trying to fight him would be suicide, and she was smart enough to know when to retreat.

She was already exhausted, having just fought with his partner, Kisame Hoshikagi. He was currently knocked out cold, thanks to one of her favourite genjutsus. Luckily for her, genjutsu had been Kisame's weakpoint- but it had taken her a while to capture him in one. She had used up most of her energy defending herself from that chakra-eating sword of his, and her super human strength was no match for his _demon-_like strength.

Too bad she wasn't having such luck with the Uchiha. She had been hiding from hours, masking her chakra expertly. There was no way she could fight him alone. She regretted accepting the mission. 'Make your way over to Sound, gather any information on Orochimaru, and report back to me immediately!' Tsunade had told her. It seemed easy enough, and she didn't have anything to do that week. The others had gone on missions as well, leaving Sakura in Konoha all on her lonesome.

Why didn't she just choose to stay in the hospital? It was easy work, considering that there weren't many patients. There were no wars going on- Orochimaru and the Akatsuki had been laying low lately, and there weren't any problems between the other countries. Sure, there was the occasional ninja, injured from a mission, but even that was rare. She would have been too bored, she had figured, when she had accepted then. She thought she'd be glad to have something occupying her time.

"Where are you, Sakura-_chan_? I will find you eventually, so come out of your hiding spot." Itachi exclaimed, emphasizing the 'chan'. Itachi was annoyed, angry, and irritated beyond belief. Not only had his partner been knocked out, but he had been chasing the kunoichi for hours now, and even with his sharingan, he still hadn't found her. His patience had already worn out, and he was ready to destroy the entire forest if it meant finding and killing the girl. If he wanted to have her dead, then she would be dead, because nobody had ever survived a_ real_ fight with Itachi.

She was going to die. He was much, much too strong for her. He had proven it to himself, and everybody in Konoha that he was powerful- after he had slaughtered his clan. They deserved to die, anyways. The entire clan was corrupted, and completely useless to him. All they cared about was the power and status they had over Konoha. In fact, the stupid village should have thanked him for getting rid of those pests instead of sending those damned hunter-nins after him. It didn't matter, though. Not to him. He was fully rid of the village, now.

And he was _glad _to be rid of them all. Glad to be rid Sasuke for the moment, who had been the only person he had ever showed mercy to. In his sick, twisted way, he wanted Sasuke to suffer. He wanted Sasuke grow to loathe him, hating him even more every day. He wanted Sasuke to hate Itachi so much that he would be the only one able to end Itachi's pathetic life once and for all. Itachi didn't have anything to live for- there was no purpose in him living, he figured. When he was recruited to Akatsuki, he hadn't joined because he wanted to dominate the world. No, he decided to join because he was _powerful_, and the organization had been able to recognize it.

He was glad to be rid of the damned village, of his father, who only cared about his career as a shinobi. That was all he cared about- the _prodigy_. Itachi wanted to scoff at the thought. He was the eldest son, the most skilled and smartest shinobi of the clan. It was all about status to _father_. It was more than pathetic, really. Hadn't his father seen the hurt in Sasuke's eyes as he was continuously ignored? Itachi had noticed, and it had made him angry. Humans were such ugly and greedy creatures. And then there was her mother, who _never_ had an opinion. She was as useless as her father, considering she would never disagree with him. She went along with whatever he said, whatever he ordered to do, and it disgusted him. It seemed the woman didn't have a personality of her own.

Itachi had wanted them all dead. And he had made sure of it, too.

Oh yes. He would get everything he wanted. Itachi always did. He had wanted to test his power and wipe out his pathetic clan, so he killed them all himself. He wanted his death, so he made it absolutely sure Sasuke would train until he was able to overpower him. Itachi refused to kill himself. Death by suicide was not something fit for someone of his caliber. No, it _had _to be Sasuke. That's what he wanted, and that's what he was going to get.

_Now_, he wanted to kill the pink-haired kunoichi.

There was a faint rustle in the bushes, ffand a snap of a twig was heard. "Shit!" Sakura muttered, her cover already blown. She jumped out of the way just as four kunai rooted itself to where she had been just milliseconds before. She watched his feet carefully, making sure not to look into his activated sharingan. She had to think fast- defend or attack? She decided to defend, jumping back a few more meters and hopefully out of his reach.

"Mangekyou Sharingan." Itachi exclaimed, his Sharingan changing. Sakura couldn't help but look up and into his eyes. What she saw made her want to gasp. She had seen pictures of Mangekyou in a couple forbidden books, as well as seeing Kakashi's eyes itself, but Itachi's were completely different. It was, with lack of a better word, _broken_. She had studied the Sharingan, studied each ability, and she knew it wasn't supposed to look like _that_.

Instead of the three large, wave-like spikes, there was six smaller spikes surrounding the pupil, the edges more rounded probably from deterioration. Was this a new Sharingan? One that had never been discovered? Or was it really the Mangekyou, only worn down from overuse? It made sense- Itachi had always activated his Sharingan for long periods of time, causing great damage to his eyes. Sakura would know, she had to heal Kakashi's eyes constantly. If it hadn't been for the constant healing, Kakashi would most likely be blind- what did that say about Itachi, who was probably too proud to even consider seeing a medic?

Sakura figured that Itachi must be _nearly _blind, unless the Akatsuki had a medic-nin, which she highly doubted. From what she could tell, his eyes were damaged beyond repair. The Mangekyou he was using was a more worn down version- the effects would be much different than what was expected, though nonetheless very dangerous.

A moment after their eyes had connected, Sakura felt like she was being sucked into something. Suddenly everything went black. Something was pulling at her, squeezing her. She gasped for air, but her lungs refused to absorb the oxygen. There was an immense pain inside of her- something was eating at her from the inside, but she couldn't move, or summon any chakra. It felt like she was_ burning_! She would have been writhing with the intense pain if she could. Her last thought before she was fully unconscious was an apology to everybody in Konoha.

_I wasn't strong enough._

Itachi suddenly closed his eyes because of the sudden explosion of pain inside his head. When he opened his eyes again, Sakura Haruno was nowhere to be seen. Had he succeeded in killing her? He closed his eyes again, concentrating on any chakra that could be found in the area. When he felt none, he opened his eyes with a smirk on his face. With no trace of the kunoichi, and the fact that there was no possible way she could have survived the Mangekyou, Itachi came to a satisfying conclusion.

He had killed Sakura Haruno.

* * *

"Is she okay?" Shuuhei asked, hovering over Sakura. He had been taking a stroll and had come across a large crowd of officers. Curious, Shuuhei asked one of them what the commotion was. The reply one of the officers had given him was that a portal had somehow been opened in the sky, but instead of a hollow or captain, a pink-haired girl had fallen out. More curious than ever, he decided to head straight into the heart of the crowd and inspect the girl himself.

Suddenly Sakura's unconscious body started glowing green with chakra- she was healing herself subconsciously, but Shuuhei and the other shinigami didn't know that. They took a few cautious steps back, their weapons drawn just in case she suddenly attacked them. "Wh-what is this energy? It's not like ours." One of the officers exclaimed, deciding to bravely take a step towards her. He reached out to touch the girl but Shuuhei stopped him.

"When she wakes up, we'll ask questions." Shuuhei said, then ordered one of the oficers to head over to the fourth squad to ask for their assistance. A team of officers from the fourth squad arrived immediately after, transporting her to the infirmary. The fourth squad captain, Retsu Unohana, was immediately informed and had come down to see the strange girl right away. "Can you examine her, Unohana-taichou?" Shuuhei asked, watching curiously as the girl mumbled something incoherent as she slept. Unohana nodded, and began examing Sakura's body.

The green chakra had now subsided, and Sakura started twitching as she was poked and prodded. Unohana immediately stopped whenever she did so, making sure the girl did not wake. "She contains another energy, not too different from spirit energy. I've never seen anything quite like it before." Unohana stated, brushing a few strands from Sakura's face. Unohana's eyes softened as she noticed the furrowing of Sakura's eybrows. The girl was having a bad dream.

She checked her breathing and pulse, and even checked if she had a hollow hole anywhere on her body. She placed two fingers on Sakura's forehead, and closed her eyes in concentration. She started channelling some spirit energy, trying to find anything wrong with her. She was now healthy and in perfect condition. She was also... _Alive_. She wasn't a wandering soul or a shinigami, she was _human_. And she seemed to have some spirit energy within her as well. Her eyes widened. How was this possible?

"How come nobody invited me?"

Everybody turned around to see Matsumoto pouting childishly, a small bottle of sake in her hand. "I heard that something strange happened, and I wanted to know what was going on." She exclaimed, taking a swig of her drink. A few of the officers groaned. Matsumoto was sticking her nose into everything as usual. "So what's all the commotion about?" She asked, ignoring the exasperated groans meant for her.

"This girl fell-" Shuuhei was about to explain when all of a sudden Sakura started to awake, causing everybody to become silent and watch as she woke up. Her eyes started to widen slowly as she blinked a couple of times. When Sakura saw the large number of strange people crowded around her, she decided that maybe if she rubbed her eyes a little, everything would return to normal.

It didn't.

"What's going on?" She asked, sitting up. She looked down at her clothes, noticing that there was nothing missing, not even the few weapons she had left. Suddenly the thoughts of her fight with Itachi came rushing back into her head and she groaned in exasperation. "Am I dead? He killed me, didn't he?" She cried out in despair. "I'm probably in some kind of afterlife now, aren't I? How did I even get myself into this mess?" She would have gone into a full blown rant if it weren't for Unohana clearing her throat.

"Don't worry, dear. You're not dead." Unohana replied, smiling kindly. Sakura wasn't sure what was going on, and her instincts were telling her to make a run for it, but she decided to stay put and listen to the woman in front of her. "To clarify things, you are in Soul Society. A few of the officers here had claimed to see you fall out from a portal. I am Retsu Unohana, captain of the fourth squad."

Sakura could only nod. A portal? Soul society? It made a little sense to her, considering she had been caught in the Mangekyou. She could've been transported to another dimension because of the Mangekyou. "I... Oh." She felt like smacking her forehead. Couldn't she come up with something more intelligent to say? She sat there for a moment, trying to figure things out. "Uhm, Unohana-taichou, do you know how I'll be able to get back?"

"Sorry, but we haven't been able to figure that out yet. While you're here, would you mind explaining a few things to us? I am curious to know about your strange healing power. It is different than what we use here in Soul Society." Unohana replied, then asked if any of the officers would be kind enough to bring the girl a glass of water. Sakura coughed slightly, now noticing how dry her throat really was. She channelled some chakra into the area to soothe it.

"Oh, right. My name is Sakura Haruno from the Hidden Village of Leaf. And... Uhm... I'm the Hokage's apprentice, or well, I used to be." Sakura exclaimed, smiling at the last part. Tsunade had finally finished teaching her basically everything she knew, even a couple of forbidden jutsus, but nobody needed to know that. "I had been fighting Itachi Uchiha, a man from an organization that's bent on taking over the world, and when he used his Sharin- I mean, one of his powers on me, I guess I somehow got sent here." She replied, trying to word everything correctly. She didn't want to give away too much information or have to end up explaining too many things, either. "The 'healing power' you were talking about must have been my chakra. Chakra is used for many kinds of jutsu where I come from, including healing."

When all that replied to her was silence, she mentally sweat-dropped. They probably had never heard of Konoha, or who the Hokage was. She looked at their clothing- it was different. Strange. It was different than what Konoha-nin would wear, but still practical. If she wasn't in another dimension, then maybe the Mangekyou transported her to another part of the world. Maybe this place could have been another ninja village? What confused her was the name, 'Soul Society'. She had never heard of the place before- not even in the legends.

"Someone from the human world, eh? Have you met Ichigo Kurosaki before?" Matsumoto asked, surprising Sakura. Sakura looked up at her and her eyes widened. Large breasts, a bottle of sake in her hand- she reminded Sakura of Tsunade. She shook her head, saying she had never heard of him before. Sakura looked down at her hands in wonder. Speaking of Tsunade, did she even know Sakura was missing? What would they do? Would they try to find her? Sakura felt like sighing- she missed them already.

Suddenly Sakura's eyes widened as she came to a realisation. Did the lady just say 'human world'? She looked around again. What was this place? She basically implied that there was _another_ world other than where humans resided in. "Uhm, if you don't mind me asking... What is this place? And what do you mean, human world?" Sakura asked, trying to sound as polite as she could. She wanted to get back home as soon as possible, but she needed some answers first.

"Soul Society. It's the spirit world, where souls come to once they die." Unohona started. "You are in Seireitei, the part where shinigami reside in. Outside the borders is a place called Rukongai, where the souls void of any spirit energy live. You seem to have spirit energy in you, but I could be wrong. We'll find out soon enough."

Sakura thought for a moment. She had heard of a shinigami before, after Sarutobi's death. She wasn't sure she believed the whole 'souls' thing just yet, but then again, getting trapped in another dimension through the Mangekyou and being perfectly fine was pretty unbelievable, too. "Shinigami?" Sakura asked, looking up at the two with a confused expression.

"Yes, we are all shinigami here, Sakura-san." Unohana replied. The officer sent for water finally game back, handing it to Unohana who placed it in Sakura's hand. She took a sip, downing almost half of it. She hadn't realized how thirsty she had become. Smiling, Sakura thanked her. "No problem. Anyways, shinigami duties are to fight and purify hollows as well as sending wandering souls on earth into Soul Society."

"Oh... I see." Sakura replied. "How can you tell if I have that... Uh... Spirit energy that you guys have?" She asked, somewhat curious. This place was strange, though not necessarily _unpleasant_. She wouldn't mind getting to know things about here later. It might come in handy if she were to ever return back to Konoha. Sakura looked around at the shinigami crowded around her. She laid her eyes on one of the men with a sixty-nine tattooed on his cheek and her inner leapt up, making cat calls.

**'He's hot.' **Sakura's inner exclaimed. Sakura mentally sighed in exasperation, though she had to agree. He was better-looking than Sasuke-kun, even. Sakura continued looking around at the other observers. She tried to hide the blush that was caused by her Inner's comments. Why did she have to appear _now_, of all the times? With all these unecessary comments, nonetheless.

"Oh! I know how you can find out!" Matsumoto exclaimed, taking out a candy dispenser from her pocket. "I think I have a couple left. Hitsugaya-taichou says I should keep them with me just in case we have to travel to the human world." She said, dispensing a small round candy into Sakura's hand. "Go on, eat it. It won't hurt you, really. Your body will release your soul, but that's basically it." Matsumoto urged. Sakura channelled some chakra through the object, and finding no poison in it, she popped it into her mouth and swallowed it. She didn't feel any different, and after a moment she got up, moving around.

"Uhm... Nothing happened..." Sakura stated, moving her arms up and legs to check if anything different occured. Matsumoto giggled, pointing behind her towards the small bed she had been laying in a moment before. When Sakura turned, she gasped, surprised. She, well, her _body _was sitting there, smiling. "Wh-what happened? Is this some kind of genjutsu?" She asked, panicking slightly. "Kai!" Her body was still sitting there. "Kai? ... _Kai_!"

**'Hey, what's going on here?' **Her Inner exclaimed inside her head. When Sakura closed her eyes, she was suddenly brought into another world, her own _mind_. **'You can come visit me, now? Woah. ' **Her inner exclaimed, grinning. Sakura's eyes widened- she had never really seen what her inner self looked like. She looked exactly liked Sakura when she was still in the academy, except her eyes were a deep violet. **'What's wrong? Is there someth- Oh, right. You haven't actually _seen_ me just yet.' **Inner Sakura exclaimed, scratching her head sheepishly.

Sakura just stood there, gaping at her. 'But what... How...' She stuttered, pointing a finger at her Inner. Was she going crazy? Perhaps this was what happened with Naruto and Kyuubi? Inner Sakura rolled her eyes, demanding that Sakura calm herself down immediately. Sakura obeyed, shutting her mouth and nodding her head once. She was completely speechless.

**'You know, after years of being together, you barely know much about me- so I'll tell you about myself! My name is Rosas. I am part of you, as you already do know. And, I'm not sure why myself, but in this place, I take the form of a sword. Crazy, eh? I don't mind, though. It seems I've been able to unlock some sort of energy, too.'**Sakura's Inner exclaimed, grinning. Sakura had started gaping at her again, her expression incredulous. **'It's pretty cool, though. When you ate that candy I felt something open up inside of me- this _new_ kind of energy. Not chakra, but something pretty close. It was exhilerating, really. You should eat that stuff more often.'**

'Why haven't you told me your name before? And a _new_ energy? Th-this is so much to take in! Do you know anymore things _I _probably should know?' Sakura asked, her hands on her hips. She was shocked, confused, and irritated all at the same time. Not only that, but she was already frustrated at being unable to reach Konoha at the moment.

**'Meh. I don't know. I didn't think it was necessary. And, well, I'm not so sure about the power thing. I feel something kind of like chakra... Except different. And I feel so powerful, and strong. You should switch to this, uhm, new you more often. It's freaking awesome!' **Rosas exclaimed, punching her fist into the air above her. Sakura groaned, completely exasperated. She had so many questions and barely any answers.

'Okay. Let's get everything we know straight. When I'm in my human form, you're inside my head. When I'm in my soul form, you're in a sword? Is that how it works? I didn't even see a sword.' Sakura said, sitting down. She glanced around at her surroundings- green grass, trees, a stream not far off, but the skies were gray and it looked as if it were about to rain. 'What's up with the weather?' Sakura decided to ask.

**'The weather depends on your mood. It sucks, trust me. And yeah, I think your 'form' theory is right. I'm new to this, too, so don't go asking me any hard questions!' **Rosas exclaimed, lifting her hands in the air defensively. **'Well you better get back out there. Time is different in your mind- kind of like how the Mangekyou works. Not even a second has gone by in your time, so when you open your eyes, to everybody around you it would only have seemed like you've blinked.'**

With this said, Sakura returned to reality. "Hey! She has a zanpaktou of her own!" Matsumoto exclaimed, grinning. The pink-haired girl was adorable, and around the same height as her captain. If she played her cards right, she might be able to make a match! Shiro-chan desperately needed a girlfriend, she figured. He always seemed so unhappy and serious. "If she gets placed into a squad anytime soon, I call dibs!"

"I believe that's for me to decide, Matsumoto. Aren't you supposed to be doing paperwork right now?" Toushirou demanded, sounding somewhat irritated. Everybody turned around to see the captain who had just entered. Matsumoto laughed sheepishly, saying that she'd get on it right away, and immediately ran out the door, grinning at her new and brilliant idea. Toushirou shook his head in disapproval and headed over to the center of the crowd. He examined Sakura's new sword and furrowed his eyebrows. "It's already in Shikai form." He stated, and looked up at Sakura questioningly. She cringed at the intensity of his stare. Had she done something _wrong_? Toushirou spoke up again. "Do you know your zanpaktou's name?"

Sakura rose an eyebrow- how could her sword have a name? Suddenly she remembered what her Inner had told her. "Oh, yeah, it's Rosas." Sakura replied. She took it into her hands, examining it. The blade was long, silver, and thin. The handle was wrapped in green ribbons. The bottom of the handle had two ribbons protruding from it. Sakura ran her fingers along the edge of the blade. "This is pretty cool." She murmured to herself. She had never owned a weapon that looked as elegant as this, before.

**'I look pretty awesome, eh?'**

'Yes, you do, actually. And how come I can hear you in my head if you're really this sword?' Sakura asked, turning the sword over to admire it some more. She was glad she had asked Tenten for some lessons on weaponry. After a couple months of _intense_ sessions with Tenten, she really wasn't that bad. She may not have the experience as Tenten, but at least she knew how to handle weapons. Besides, she could always ask someone here for tips if she really wanted to, _hopefully_.

**'I'm still a part of you, that's why. On a more important matter, what do you think of that white-haired guy? He's wearing a uniform like Unohana-taichou, which means he's a captain, too, right? _I_ think he's pretty cute.'** Inner Sakura exclaimed, causing Sakura to blush. Sakura mentally slapped her forehead- now was not the time to be thinking such thoughts!

"I have informed the other captains about this... Situation." Toushirou stated. He then asked Unohana and Shuuhei about the information they had gathered from the girl. The two told him everything that had happened so far, including the officers' claims to have seen her falling. Suddenly a hell butterfly fluttered in, daintily landing on Toushirou's finger. The message relayed to them was that the girl be brought to Shigekuni immediately. Toushirou sighed. He had so much paperwork to do, and now this girl had to be taken care of. "What's your name?" He asked Sakura, who was still blushing slightly.

"Sakura Haruno." She replied, trying to force her blush away. Rosas laughed at her attempt, but Sakura simply ignored her. She had to be completely serious about the current situation. Toushirou stated that Sakura had to come with him to meet another captain that would decide what she would do during her stay in Soul Society. Sakura nodded, wondering if she would have to fight. She summoned some chakra into her fingers, but noticed it was mixed with another type of energy.

"What are you doing?" Toushirou asked, sounding somewhat suspicious. Sakura replied, telling him she was testing her chakra, but that there was also something wrong with it. She tried separating the energy, and after a long moment of extreme concentration she finally had. She channeled normal chakra into her right hand, forming a circular shape. In her left hand, was the other energy.

"What is this other energy? It's different than my usual chakra..." She asked, staring at her left hand. Instead of the light-blue or green chakra she usually had, it was a dark, almost black colour. She dispersed her chakra and channelled the strange energy into her other hand as well, swirling it around in her hand, and making other shapes. She always did things like that to practice her chakra control. The strange energy wasn't shaping exactly like she wanted to, but it was close enough.

"Spirit energy." Unohana replied. Sakura looked up at her, eyes widening. Didn't that mean she had the potential to be a shinigami? Sakura stared at the energy swirling in her hand, then cut it off, finished playing around with it. She wondered if the energy was used for things like ninjutsu and genjutsu. She knew it could be used for healing, since Unohona-taichou had said so.

Toushirou sighed in exasperation, urging her to hurry along. "What about my body?" Sakura asked, looking over at her body that was sitting quietly and smiling. Toushirou told her that it would have to come, too. '_Posessed_ Sakura', as Rosas decided to called her, stood up and walked to their sides obediently. Sakura nodded her head and followed Toushirou out of the building.

When they stepped into the outside, Sakura gasped- the skies were bright blue. It was a beautiful day. She sighed, wondering where she could put her sword for a moment. She looked at Toushirou, who was walking a few feet away from her and noticed that he had his strapped onto his back. Sakura looked down at her clothes, and instead of seeing her usual ninja gear, she found she was wearing a shinigami's outfit. How come she hadn't noticed this before? She found a sheath tucked underneath a white obi sash she was wearing and carefully placed her sword in it.

When they reached a small building, Toushirou opened the door and motioned her to step in first. Sakura said her thanks and stepped in with her body following close behind. "She's pretty cute." Shunsui exclaimed, causing Sakura to blush and Shigekuni to clear his throat, saying that now wasn't the time for such comments. Sakura did a quick glance around the room, noticing that there were only a couple of people there.

Shigekuni, Shunsui, Toushirou, Byakuya, Kenpachi, and Kurotsuchi. The rest of the captains had either been busy or didn't deem the situation important enough for their presence. Sakura smiled nervously at their intense scrutiny. If it had been a different situation, she most likely would have been irritated at the unwanted attention. "Uhm..." She said, after a moment. Nobody had spoken up, so she figured they might have been expecting her to say something first.

"Hitsugaya, will you please relay to us the information about this woman?" Shigekuni exclaimed, interrupting her. Sakura clenched her fist, irritated that she had just been ignored, but she let it go. The man looked very old, and was apparently the highest rank among the others here as he was seated in the very center. She would have to act as polite as she could for now.

"Her name is Sakura Haruno, and according to the witnesses, she had fallen from a portal that had appeared in the sky. She claims to be from a place called 'Konoha' and seems to have spirit energy, as well as another energy that I have never seen." Toushirou replied. Shigekuni nodded, and beckoned Sakura to him. Sakura felt slightly intimidated by everybody, and paused for a moment before she finally reacted.

Sakura hesitantly and reluctantly stepped foreward, until she was about four feet from the man. To her surprise, he was actually quite muscular despite his old age. "Please demonstrate the spirit energy and the other that Hitsugaya claims you have." Shigekuni exclaimed. Sakura nodded, and summoned both her chakra and spirit energy into her hands once again. Her chakra was swirling around in her hand neatly, while the other energy seemed to be floating around her hand.

Kurotsuchi stood up, his eyes wide with wonder. He had to examine her. "Can I use her as a test subject?" He asked. His curiosity was growing each second. This was something never before seen. If only he could just run some tests on her. This pink-haired girl was a magnificent discovery! He watched amusedly when Sakura clenched her fists and gritted her teeth in anger. Touchy, eh? He'd be able to fix that with a few changes to her brain.

Shigekuni seemed to ponder for a moment, causing Sakura to forget her anger and panic slightly. She took a step back, summoning chakra into her hands. She refused to be anybody's experiment! She wasn't going down without a fight if they tried to take her. "Hold her still, please." Shigekuni ordered. Kurotsuchi volunteered to do so, grinning.

When he reached out to grab her arm, Sakura slapped it away. "Don't touch me." She hissed, stepping back into a fighting position. The other captains looked at each other, quite surprised. So she knew how to fight? They wondered what was going through the small girl's head- did she have any clue who they were? Kurotsuchi suddenly laughed, saying that she couldn't do anything about it. She glared at him, saying, "Like hell I'd ever let some sick bastard like _you_ touch me."

"So I'm a sick bastard now?" Kurotsuchi asked, raising an eyebrow. He laughed, reaching for her arm again. When Sakura slapped it away again, he sighed, somewhat annoyed, now. "You wouldn't want to fight _me_, Haruno-san." Kurotsuchi stated. Sakura glared at him, stating that if she had to, she would. Kurotsuchi looked over at Shigekuni, who seemed to think about it for a while.

He figured Kurotsuchi wouldn't injure her too much, considering he wanted to use her an experiment. What good was she to him if she was dead? It would be a good way to determine how strong and powerful she was as well. He noted that she seemed to have been trained as a fighter by her current stance. Shigekuni nodded slightly, approving of the fight that was about to take place. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, even more irritated.

Kurotsuchi lunged at Sakura, who easily dodged. She knew what they were thinking, what they _wanted_. They wanted to see her power, what she was capable of- and so she'd let them. But only slightly. She didn't want them to know everything about her. She quickly did some hand-signs and exclaimed, "Kage-bunshin no jutsu!" effectively creating five more copies of herself. She mentally let out a sigh of relief at being able to perform jutsu in her soul form. She was still slightly confused about the whole 'energy' situation.

"Amazing!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed, clapping. He grinned, excitement flowing though his veins. He _needed _to be able to experiment on her. "Experimenting on you will be _extremely_ enjoyable." He said, causing Sakura to growl in fury. Who did he, or any of them think they were? Who did they think _she_ was? She wasn't the weak girl that cried over little crushes and silly words about her forehead. She may not have been strong enough to avoid Mangekyou Sharingan, but she was going to do everything possible to avoid being some _test_ subject!

Her five clones charged at Kurotsuchi, who by now had released his Zanpaktou into its Shikai form. "I'm going to have to finish this fast." Kurotsuchi said, grinning madly. He wanted to start experimenting right away- that is, if Shigekuni let him. He lunged towards a clone, sword drawn, and stabbed it through its stomach. The clone popped and the other four continued to try and fight him.

Sakura watched as Kurotsuchi destroyed two more clones before Shigekuni ordered both to stop immediately. Sakura reluctantly dispelled the clones that were currently attacking Kurotsuchi and looked up at Shigekuni with a confused expression. "We will take this outside on the training grounds." Shigekuni exclaimed, leading them outside. He made sure that neither Sakura nor Kurotsuchi attacked each other on the way. Once they reached the large expanse of land, he declared that the fight continue.

"Kage-bunshin no jutsu!" Sakura exclaimed, and five clones appeared again. Instead of simply watching them fight, she charged in, landing a punch at Kurotsuchi's face. She hadn't summoned any chakra for the punch but he was thrown back a couple of feet before he finally stopped. He chuckled, getting up and rubbing his cheek. Sakura stepped back slightly- she didn't know what the man was capable of, so she had to be as careful as she could.

"I think I'm going to have to end this quickly." Kurotsuchi muttered, raising his sword to a more upright position. "Rip." He exclaimed, and watched in glee as his zanpaktou spewed the paralyzing poison. Sakura quickly leapt back- she hadn't been expecting poison. She quickly made some hand seals. "Katon: Karyuu Endan no Jutsu!" She exclaimed, blowing a stream of fire at Kurotsuchi. The poison was blown away by the intensity and the heat of the jutsu, and had managed to burn Kurotsuchi.

Sakura smirked to herself, glad she had been able to master Fire, Earth, and Water. She was having difficulty mastering the other elements, but even Kakashi didn't know all of them, so she figured it was acceptable. Kurotsuchi's eyes widened, somewhat surprised at the strange power. It was similar to kido, though completely different. He had underestimated the girl. "Just to be safe..." He started, a dark glint in his eyes. He looked up at Shigekuni, who nodded again. Grinning maliciously, Kurotsuchi released his zanpaktou into it's bankai form.

"Wh-what the hell is _that_?" Sakura exclaimed incredulously at the large caterpillar-like monster in front of her. How was she expected to fight something like _that_? It didn't matter, though. She had to try, no matter how hopeless it seemed, now. She clenched her fist, determination running through her. She wasn't going to give up. She had already figured out a couple things about the people here so far. The man she was fighting, for one, was a captain, and if he was capable of this kind of attack an power, then so must the others. She was outnumbered, and by a lot. They probably wouldn't let her kill him even if she tried. And if they wanted her dead, then she would be. She thought about her situation and decided that there wasn't much to lose, considering that she might not ever be able to see her friends, anyways.

"That? That's my bankai." Kurotsuchi exclaimed, his grin widening at the expression on Sakura's face. He was surprised, none of his test subjects had ever been able to force him to use bankai, although in this case he wasn't exactly forced. He was only being cautious- he had already underestimated one of Ichigo's friends. Making the same mistake was unacceptable. "Attack." he exclaimed, pointing his sword towards Sakura. The caterpillar-like zanpaktou charged towards her.

She had no choice. She had to use it. Sakura sighed as she channelled her chakra into her fist and punched the ground, causing it to break and crumble underneath her enhanced strength. The monster, although extremely large, stumbled as the earth beneath it shook like she had expected it to. The rest of the captains watched with awe. Before the two could continue their battle any further, Shigekuni demanded the two stop.

"Sakura Haruno. You have proven yourself quite strong. In the future, I would like to ask you some questions and gain some information about that intriguing power you have. I speak for all the captains present when I say that we are all impressed at your strength and would be honored to train you in the way of the shinigami. I must say that it is surprising you are able to fight without using your zanpaktou even once." Shigekuni exclaimed. Sakura, without taking her eyes off of Kurotsuchi, nodded, saying that she wouldn't mind being taught about about her 'zankpaktou' and a couple of other things here in Soul Society.

If they thought _she_ was strong, they should see Naruto and Kakashi. Those two were absolutely amazing! The thought sent a pang of homesickness through her, and she immediately frowned. Had they even noticed that she was missing? She was expected to come back to the village at any time, now. And Itachi, what had happened to his eyes when she was sent to Soul Society? Had it damaged his eyes even further and caused him to go completely blind? She hoped it had.

"Can I still study her?" Kurotsuchi asked, still hopeful. Before Sakura could open her mouth and tell him off, Shigekuni shook his head, saying that it was up to her. Sakura smirked at him, fighting the urge to stick out her tongue. Kurotsuchi glared at Sakura, extremely disappointed he wasn't able to run tests on her. If it weren't for Shigekuni's word, he would've gone ahead and experimented on her right away.

"Is there a captain here willing to admit Sakura into their squad?" Shigekuni asked, looking at the captains. Kenpachi volunteered, grinning madly. He stated that he would love to have someone with such destructive power on his squad, and Sakura grinned sheepishly. To be honest, the man was _very_ intimidating. He was quite tall, with a nasty scar on his face. He was scary-looking.

Shinsui, Toushirou and Byakuya stated that they wouldn't mind, either, and Sakura suddenly remembered what the Tsunade-look-alike had said. She seemed friendly enough, but who's squad was she in, again? Sakura didn't even know her name. "I suggest that maybe she should stay with someone she has become familiar with." Shigekuni exclaimed, looking over at Toushirou.

"I'll take her in, then." Toushirou said with a slightly exasperated sounding sigh. Sakura thanked him, smiling slightly. With this decision, the captains dispersed, heading back towards their appointed offices. Sakura and her body stayed with Toushirou, who was wondering what exactly he was supposed to do with her. "Well... I guess I'm going to have to teach you about a few things, first of all." Toushirou started. He explained what the shinigami were supposed to do, and what the ranks were. He also told her about the arts of kido, and the other things they taught in the academy.

Sakura could only nod as she took all the information in. When he finally came upon the topic of zanpaktou, Sakura's Inner cheered. 'Shut up, I'm trying to listen.' Sakura mentally shouted. Rosas stuck out her tongue but nonetheless did what was told and shut up. Toushirou started explaining about 'shikai', stating that her zanpaktou was currently a type that was always released like Zaraki-taichou's. He was the one who wanted her in his squad because of her 'destructive power'.

When Toushirou started explaining what bankai was, Sakura couldn't help but feel curious as to what Rosas would look like in that form, but first she had to find out what she did during her Shikai form. She took out her sword, and mentally asked Rosas what she could do. **'That's what I'm trying to figure out!' **Her Inner exclaimed, almost exasperatedly. Sakura mentally slapped her forehead again- she was being of no help at all. **'Try swinging me around a bit, maybe something will happen.'**Sakura decided to try, but nothing happened.

'Maybe you're just an ordinary, lame sword.' Sakura mentally muttered to Rosas. Rosas immediately disagreed, stating that she had to be able to do something cool. The creepy guy wanting to use her as an experiment had a crazy ability, so Rosas figured she had to have one, too. 'Can't you feel anything? Power? Some sort of energy flowing through you?' Sakura asked her Inner. Rosas replied, saying she didn't feel any energy when Sakura was in her human form, but when she was released into her soul form, she could feel it. 'Too bad you weren't something easier to handle like kunai, then I'd'

Suddenly her sword flashed brightly and instead of one sword, a pair of kunai was now in Sakura's hands. "Woah... Was that...? Awesome!" Sakura exclaimed, twirling the kunai around her fingers. Toushirou watched in little amusement as Sakura played around with her newly discovered zanpaktou. She acted somewhat child-like. She was unable to control her emotions, and now, she was simply toying with her zanpaktou's shikai form. Sakura grinned as she willed Rosas to change into different weapons as well as other objects. "Tenten would've loved this!" Sakura exclaimed. She tried willing Rosas to change into a puppy, but nothing happened. 'So I guess it's just stationary, non-living objects, eh?'

Sakura started wondering about what her newly appointed captain had said. She needed to have a good relationship with the sword- and she was sure she did. Would she be able to take her zanpaktou up another level? Her Inner urged her to try, saying that there wasn't anything to lose, and that she wanted to see what else she could do. "Bankai!" She exclaimed, and suddenly Rosas appeared in front of her as a giant, white bird. "So this is bankai?" She asked, looking at Toushirou, who rose an eyebrow. He nodded, completely speechless.

It seemed that her zankpaktou was what contained most of the spirit energy- which surprised him. Her reiatsu had grown higher when she had released her bankai, he noted to himself. To be honest, the fact that she had been able to release her bankai so easily baffled him. It seemed that she had known about it and communicated with it all her life- which was a strange idea to him, although with the discovery of this girl, he figured there was probably many other things possible.

'Can I still change the sword? Come on, Rosas, shuriken!' Sakura thought to herself. Unfortunately, nothing happened and the sword remained the same. She shrugged- it was still a pretty good weapon. "Hey, Rosas... Since you're out here, now, does that mean you're not in my head anymore?" Sakura asked. Rosas turned to her and shrugged.

**'Testing, testing, one-two-three. Did it work?' **Rosas mentally exclaimed, just as she usually did. Sakura's eyes widened- she could still hear her. She asked how it was possible, and Rosas shrugged again, mentally saying that it probably had to do with permanently being a part of her. Sakura asked if Rosas could speak out loud, and when Rosas tried, she found out she couldn't. Not even a chirp, or a tweet. She shook her head, sadly. **'Nope. I can't speak except through this way.'**

"So what can_ you _do?" Sakura asked. Her Inner, who wasn't really inside her anymore, shrugged. "Maybe it's like your shikai form... Try transforming into something, like a fox." Sakura exclaimed. Rosas closed her eyes and like her sword, flashed, but when the quick light had gone, Rosas looked exactly the same. "Okay, maybe it's you that's lame, not the sword. C'mon, try something!"

Rosas started flapping her wings and rose into the air, flying around in small circles. "How come you're a bird, anyways?" Sakura asked. Rosas replied, saying that it was probably her bankai form. Sakura started analyzing her, taking note of Rosas' appearance. She didn't look too bad, actually. Her tail and wing feathers were all long, elegant. She was completely white, with her beak a shining yellow. Her eye color was the only thing that was similar to what Sakura had seen when she travelled into her mind- _violet_.

She called Rosas down and asked if she could hop on her back. The large bird was big enough for at least three full grown men to sit on its back. Rosas nodded, and waited patiently for Sakura to climb on. Once firmly in place, Rosas took off again, causing Sakura to grab onto Rosas' feathers. Luckily, she barely felt it, and continued flying higher. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit..." Sakura muttered, scared and unused to the height. "I'm going to need some practice getting used to this! Rosas, take me down, please!" She exclaimed, her whole boddy pressed onto its back.

**'Sakura... Can we stop for today? I'm not used to this... I'm starting to get dizzy.' **Inner exclaimed. And although Sakura wanted to continue testing her zanpaktou out, she also knew she needed to respect Inner's wishes and needs. She was a part of her, and she couldn't ignore that fact. Sakura willed Rosas back into her shikai form, and then she sheathed the sword. She walked up to her body, wondering how she would be able to get back in. She simply stepped into it and felt herself being pulled back into her human form.

"Haruno-san, do you know how to suppress your reiatsu?" Toushirou asked. Her reiatsu hadn't _completely_ disappeared when she returned to her human body, though it had lessened quite a lot. Sakura shook her head, so Toushirou explained the instructions to suppressing it properly. Sakura did what was told, following every instruction carefully. She was glad she'd been able to handle everything so far. All that intense training in Konoha had really paid off, in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Suddenly Sakura's stomach grumbled loudly, causing her to blush furiously. Toushirou looked at her with a smirk on his lips and motioned her to follow him. Sakura did as was told, still very embarassed. He lead her back from the training grounds to his squad's division. Matsumoto was the first to greet them, and she gave Sakura a huge hug as she walked in. Sakura was gasping for air when the hug had finally ended. Her face had been smothered by Matsumoto's '_assets'_.

"Now we have another kid in our squad! Just like you, ne, Shiro-chan?" Matsumoto exclaimed, winking at Toushirou. She couldn't help but grin widely when she noticed the two huff at her statement. Sakura, for one, was not a kid. She was eighteen! She may have been quite petite for her age, but things like that shouldn't matter when it comes to _real_ power. Toushirou, on the other hand, _hated_ being called a child- he was hundreds of years old!

"What?" Sakura and Toushirou exclaimed at the same time. "I'm not a kid!"

At this, the two looked at each other incredulously but then back at Matsumoto with irritation evident in both their expressions. "You two are so perfect for each other! Saying the same things, at the same time- you can probably finish each others sentences too!" Matsumoto gushed, her grin widening as the two turned a deep red. Sakura looked embarassed whereas Toushirou looked extremely irritated. "Well, I have lots of paperwork to do. I guess I'll be seeing you two later!" She exclaimed, quickly rushing away before her captain could yell at her again.

"I'm _eighteen_!" Sakura muttered to herself, angrily. Toushirou sighed exasperatedly, telling Sakura to simply ignore Matsumoto. "Good idea, thanks. Oh- Matsumoto? That's her name...?" Sakura asked. She hadn't been properly introduced to her yet, and she had been wondering for a while who she was exactly. Toushirou replied, stating that her full name was Rangiku Matsumoto, and that she was lieutenant. "Ah, I see. If she's a lieutenant, what am I?"

"I'm appointing you third seat. You have quite a lot of power, Haruno-san." Toushirou exclaimed, leading Sakura inside to where most of the officers ate. Not only did she have power, but he needed to keep an eye on her _just in case_. He grabbed an apple and tossed it to Sakura, who immediately took a bite out of it. It would satisfy her hunger for now. "As a captain, it is part of my duty to get to know the rest of my squad," Toushirou started, and Sakura immediately swallowed the chunk of apple she was chewing.

"And you need to ask me some questions? Okay. And you don't need to be so formal, Hitsugaya-taichou. Call me Sakura." Sakura replied, smiling at him. He was surprised she had suggested it. He decided to ask her about what she remembered about what happened to her before she fell through the portal. "Well... I had been going back to my village from a mission when I ran into Itachi Uchiha, and his partner Kisame Hoshikagi. They're two notorious criminals that are known everywhere where I live. Itachi massacred his entire clan save for his one brother, who believes his sole purpose is to take revenge for his clan and kill Itachi." Sakura started, taking another bite from her apple.

She told Toushirou the fight that had taken place, and about the Sharingan eye. She told him about Orochimaru and Sound, as well as the Akatsuki, an organization dedicated to taking over the world with bijuu. Toushirou was fascinated to say the least- the things the humans were capable of in Sakura's world was much different than Ichigo Kurosaki's and Soul Society. There must have been another dimension, a completely different world. The second thing he asked about was what the strange energy she had been able to use during her battle with Kurotsuchi was.

Sakura told him about the basics, and about how it was used for many things. She explained ninjutsu and genjutsu, as well as how she was able to heal and enhance her strength with chakra as well. She even went into detail and told him about the natural elements of chakra. Hers had been earth, and she'd been able to master fire and water . She figured she could trust Toushirou with the information- besides, its not like they could actually _do_ anything with it. They didn't have chakra, only their spirit energy.

Toushirou decided that maybe he should start asking some more personal questions. He didn't want it to seem like he was only interrogating her, although that was the whole point in the conversation. He needed to seem approachable, trustable- he needed information about her. "How was your life like before you came to Soul Society?" He asked, but immediately regretted it when Sakura looked down with homesickness evident in her expression. It was obvious that the girl missed her home- reminding her that there was no possible way to go back at the moment was a very bad move.

"It was great, actually. There weren't any wars happening, the Akatsuki haven't been bothering us lately. And Sasuke... Naruto and Sai and I were so close to finding him. I wanted to bring him back to Konoha so _badly_. I mean, Naruto even promised to me we'd get him back, and Naruto... Naruto _never_ breaks his promises." Sakura started, though her voice was starting to become hoarse.

"Ino and I had also been planning to go shopping for the Christmas festival. She's one of my best friends back in Konoha- we did everything together. Like this one time we-" Sakura paused for a moment. "Actually, nevermind. It's a long story. I miss her a lot, though." Sakura said, her voice cracking up slightly at the last part. "I was also supposed to go eat at Ichiraku's with Sai and Naruto like we usually did every week. We always have a fun time. And of course, _Kakashi_ would show up, late a-as usual. He'd m-make some really l-lame excuse and- and- and I miss everybody so _much_."

By now, Sakura had suddenly and fully burst into tears. Her emotions were so overwhelming, and after all of today's events, she really needed a good cry. "I-I'm sorry Hitsugaya-t-taichou. I j-just can't h-help it. I want t-to see them again." Sakura exclaimed, looking away as she continued to let the tears drip down her cheek. Toushirou had no idea what to do. After a small moment, he decided to try comforting her like how he'd other people comfort Hinamori.

Hesitantly, and very awkwardly, he gave Sakura a hug, patting her back at the same time. He was surprised to find that she was slightly shorter than him. The girl was quite small for a eighteen year old. "You shouldn't think about it too much, Harun- Sakura." At his simple gesture, Sakura immediately latched onto him, causing both of them to stumble to the floor with an 'oof'. She needed something to hold, some source of comfort, and when Toushirou presented himself as one, Sakura immediately took the chance.

She only started sobbing even more, much to Toushirou's dismay. She told him, through sobs and hiccups, that she couldn't stop thinking about them, even for just a second. "We'll... We'll find a way to get you back." Toushirou suddenly blurted. He was usually very collected and calm, but with her practically tackling him to the ground, something must have happened to cause him to lose focus. He felt like smacking himself in the forehead for even suggesting such an idea, for giving her false hope.

He had no idea if a portal to her world would be found and opened. He hadn't been thinking when he had said that, but now he had to go along with it. The girl was already in so much pain, and he couldn't cause her any more of it. He looked at her expression- it was the same as _Hinamori's_ when Aizen had left. He felt the anger wash over him at the thought but he pushed it back down. What would Hinamori do? She was almost like a sister to him, so he figured that maybe he could go ask her for some advice on how to deal with his situation another time.

Sakura's sobbing lightened considerably at his words. She was convinced that he wouldn't lie to her. "Y-you really think so?" She asked, obviously hopeful. Toushirou mentally groaned to himself- there was no way in getting out of this tight spot. He told her not to get her hopes up too high, but there was a small chance if she had been able to come here in the first place. "Well i-if there's even the s-slightest chance, I-I'll take it." Sakura replied, her crying dying down to mere hiccups.

When Sakura noticed the position they were in, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. "Sorry, Hitsugaya-taichou. I, uhm, I kind of- I'll just get off you, now." She said, turning away embarassed. Hitsugaya looked at her quizzically and realisation struck him. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks. His heart started beating faster and he wondered silently why he was having such a reaction. He had dealed with situations like this, before. She had been asking for comfort, and he had given it to her. He was just being a good captain to one of his officers.

"Hn. I'm your captain- I should be able to handle these kinds of problems and watch for your well-being." Toushirou stated, causing Sakura to nod. "I will allow you to become acquainted with Matsumoto and she will show you where you work." Toushirou exclaimed, leading her out of the room. Sakura's half-eaten apple lay forgotten on the table top.

He led Sakura to Matsumoto's office, where she was actually doing paperwork. "Why, isn't it the captain and Sakura!" Matsumoto exclaimed, grinning at the two. Sakura mentally sweatdropped. She may have a similar body shape and similar drinking habits, but the lady in front of her was much different than the _always_ irritable Tsunade. "What do you need from me, Shiro-chan?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Toushirou exclaimed, aggravated in an instant. It sounded too childish for a captain like he was, as well as the fact that it sounded so embarassing. Hinamori, Ukitake, and Matsumoto always seemed to enjoy annoying him considering the fact that Toushirou had told them on numerous occasions _not_ to call him 'Shiro-chan', and what did they do? They called him Shiro-chan. "Show Sakura here her new workplace." He growled out.

"Hai, taichou!" Matsumoto replied happily, ignoring the deathly glare directed at her. Sakura couldn't help but smile a bit at Matsumoto's obliviousness- it was quite amusing, really. Toushirou noticed the smile on her face and felt somewhat relaxed now that she was in a happier mood. At least he had done _one_ thing right and had gotten her to cheer up, even if it was only slightly. He remembered feeling enraged at seeing the hurt on Hinamori's face- seeing Sakura's reminded him of her, and he figured the two would get along well if they were to ever meet.

"Well, I have some matters to attend to." Toushirou muttered, stepping out of Matsumoto's office and closing the door immediately behind him. He walked back to his office and sat down at his desk, rubbing his temples. He hated paperwork, but finishing it was one of his duties as captain, so he had no choice but to do it anyways. There was so much of it, too. Suddenly a knock was heard on the door. He sighed, getting up to go answer it. To his surprise, he found Sakura standing in front of him, looking nervous.

"Hitsugaya-taichou?" Sakura asked, sounding almost reluctant. She was going to go through with it, though. She was going to thank him _properly_ for comforting her, for treating her so nicely and actually trying to get to know her. She was so grateful to him for everything he had done- it meant a lot to her considering she was now stuck in a strange, unfamiliar world. He had been able to convince her that she wasn't alone, and it had lifted her spirits considerably.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Thanks." Sakura murmured, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Toushirou stood there, quite shocked as Sakura quickly darted towards Matsumoto's office. Nobody had ever dared to peck him on the cheek- _ever_. Not even Hinamori- was this girl crazy? Toushirou slowly brought his hand to the spot her lips had touched and in his shock, he murmured to himself,

"You're welcome."

* * *

End of chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry there's not much romance in it. There will be within the next couple of chapters, hopefully.

Crazy pairing, I know, but I've read a couple of fics on it and they were really good. Sorry if my bleach writing skills suck, since I usually read Naruto fics. Please bear with me! And if you can, tell me some tips of how everything works in Soul Society. I've seen all the episodes up to date and I'm still pretty clueless on how everything works. If I get the names wrong, please tell me, too. I am pretty retarded, after watching most of the episodes in Bleach, I still don't know all their names. And err, I completely forgot how Ichigo usually returned to his human body, so I made it up. And I'm sorry if any of the characters are too OOC.

EDIT: I redid this chapter. Not too much has changed, I think, but it would probably make more sense in the next chapters if you do bother to read it again.


	2. Let The Games Begin

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!

Title: Between Two Worlds

Summary: After finding herself in a different dimension, Sakura discovers that she has shinigami powers and feelings for two shinigami. When she is offered a chance to go home, will she take it? BleachNaruto crossover. Toushirou x Sakura x Hisagi

Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciated them. At least I know that some people actually want me to continue writing the story. Anywaaays, here's the next chapter! I changed a bit of things the first chapter as well.

And uhm, sorry if I seriously screw up the names and the suffix thingies. I tried looking them up and everything, but... Yeah. Not going so well.

* * *

Sakura wondered if Matsumoto had been lying about the 'proper' way of thanking those above her rank. He seemed pretty surprised she had given him a peck on the cheek. She sighed, what was done was done. She couldn't take it back or anything, unfortunately. She didn't think it was that big of a deal- some villages outside of Konoha had kissed each other's cheeks in greeting.

Right after Toushirou had stepped out of the office, Sakura had ran after him, intending to thank him for treating her so nicely, but Matsumoto stopped her before she could get out the door, and asked her what she was planning to do. Sakura stated that she was only going to thank him for everything he'd done for her. Matsumoto had paused for a moment, then suddenly started lecturing her, stating that the proper way to thank someone who's above her current rank was to give them a peck on the cheek afterwards. It was a 'Soul Society' thing, she had said. Now, Sakura wasn't so sure.

"Rangiku-san, how do I transform into my soul form again?" Sakura asked. She wanted to practice her bankai in the near future. Rangiku put her finger on her lips and thought for a moment. She had an extra soul candy dispenser _somewhere_. She told Sakura to stay put for a moment as she dug around the desks and paperwork. She finally found it after about ten minutes- Sakura thanked her, saying she really didn't need to go through all the trouble, but Rangiku shook her head. It was her first day in Soul Society and she wanted it to be as enjoyable as it could.

"Well, I guess I should be showing you to your workplace, now." Rangiku exclaimed- she had been peeking out her door to see her captain's reaction when Sakura lightly pecked him on the cheek. It was amusing to say the least, and Rangiku felt quite proud of herself at the moment. Her match making scheme was coming along very nicely. "I'll let you get acquainted with the other officers- I've alerted everybody about your arrival." Rangiku exclaimed as she led Sakura towards another part of the building.

When she stepped into the room, she was surprised to see such a large amount of people. "These are all the officers in our squad." Rangiku exclaimed. Sakura nodded, slightly uncomfortable with everybody's attention set on her. Rangiku, noticing her slightly nervous expression, sighed with exasperation. Didn't anybody here know how to party? "Well? What are you all waiting for? Let's get celebrating!" Rangiku exclaimed, heading over to the food table to grab some sake.

The other officers shrugged and followed her example, getting up to get some food. Most went up to give Sakura a warm greeting- they had already heard much about the new girl. Sakura smiled, saying her thanks to everybody who welcomed her to the squad. The small celebration set for her was quite enjoyable, to say the least. She had been challenged to a drinking contest with one of her fellow officers- Sakura had won. She used her chakra to speed up the alcohol burning process, of course, but she wasn't planning on telling them any of_ that_.

Everybody had a great time- there was dancing, card games, and many other activities. In the end, the officers had gladly accepted Sakura as one of their own. She was sweet, fun, and talented from what they've heard. Sakura was glad she had been able to fit in so easily. After a couple of hours, nearly everybody was drunk, thanks to Rangiku spiking _all_ the drinks. Being Tsunade's apprentice helped for situations like these.

Deciding that the party was over, she slipped out of the place unnoticed. **'Where are you going? The party was just starting to get fun!'** Rosas exclaimed. Sakura mentally shook her head, stating that everybody was about to pass out- some already_ had_. She just needed some time to think, and in order to think, she needed some quiet, some peace. **'And where do you plan on going?'** Sakura's Inner piped up. Sakura mentally shrugged- the training grounds sounded like a good idea.

She headed towards the direction of where she thought the training grounds were. Luckily she finally came across the large area- the ground was still torn up, even. She sat down by a tree and popped a candy into her mouth. She stood up, as her form, and took out her sword. **'Can I stay in Shikai form? I'm still pretty tired from earlier.'** Rosas exclaimed, and Sakura nodded her head.

She used a couple of earth jutsu to make targets pop up from the ground. She'd be needing some practice with weapons now that she'd discovered her zanpaktou. She willed Rosas to change form into a couple of Shuriken and started throwing them at her target. As she was heading towards the targets to retrieve her weapons, a flash was seen and her zanpaktou was back in her hand. "What...?" Sakura thought out loud.

**'Crazy, eh? I just found out I could do that.'** Rosas exclaimed. Sakura simply nodded, dumbfounded. It seemed as if the weapon had a life of its own- oh wait, it _did_. She stepped back a couple of meters and started throwing again, switching from shuriken, to kunai, and to anything else she could think of. As she did so, she wondered what the others were doing at the moment, about what she'd do if she was stuck here in Soul Society permanently.

She wanted to see them, to hear their voices. She missed scolding Sai and Naruto for causing an argument. She missed teasing Neji Hyuuga, and getting him worked up over the smallest things. She missed her training sessions with Tenten- they were intense, but always fun. There was so many things she missed in Konoha- hell, she even missed doing _paperwork_ with Shizune in Tsunade's office. The two women always had something to talk about.

There was so many people she didn't want to forget or leave behind just yet. There was Ino-pig, and her girliness. Sakura could always count on her for the latest gossip and the best girl advice anybody could ever ask for. She even missed Lee, and his 'undying love' for not her, but _Tenten_, now. The two were quite the couple, actually.

Speaking of couples, Shino had been planning on asking Hinata out for some time. She remembered Ino telling her before she went off on the mission. Ino had just started dating Chouji, who had actually grown quite fit. Excersize made quite a big difference, though every time she saw him, he was always eating a bag of chips. He was trying to lay off the barbecue, though. She sighed- all her friends had found someone to love. Her lovelife, or lack there-of, was quite depressing.

There was Naruto, who constantly asked her out on dates, but she knew that would never work out. Not when he was always out training- she knew he'd become Hokage one day. It was his life-long dream, and there was no way she'd slow him down. She didn't want to become a _burden_. With that thought, Sakura threw the kunai she was holding harder than she thought she had, causing it to go slice right through the target.

She sighed. Was that what she really was? A burden? Sasuke-kun obviously thought so. She willed the sword back into hands, transforming it to shuriken again. Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. She threw a shuriken each time his name popped into her head. She'd always have a special place for him in her heart, but only as her beloved teammate. She wasn't his little fangirl, desperate for even just a glance from him. Not anymore, anyways.

He had betrayed her. Kakashi. Naruto. _Konoha_. And it still hurt, even if it was only slightly. Even so, she wanted to bring him back. She knew how much Sasuke meant to Naruto- he thought of Sasuke as a _brother_. As someone that had finally acknowledged him after those years of being hated, of being alone. Sakura wanted Naruto to be happy, and if bringing Sasuke back made him happy, then she would help him bring Sasuke back! He deserved _every_ happiness, after all that he had been through as a child. Shunned, Unaccepted, _alone_. She knew the feeling, even if only slightly, and she knew it was horrible.

Sakura sighed to herself. She had to admit, she liked Soul Society. She liked her new, strange powers. And to be completely honest, she wouldn't mind living here for a while. Everybody seemed quite friendly, and if it continued going the way it currently was, she decided it would keep her content. She wanted to go back to Konoha eventually, but it wouldn't hurt enjoying this place for the time she spent here.

Sakura, so deep in her thoughts, she hadn't even sensed the presence approaching her. "Hey, what-"

By reflex, Sakura immediately turned around, throwing a kunai straight at the person who had surprised her. The man didn't move fast enough, and the kunai sliced the side of his cheek slightly. Sakura gasped in horror when she recognized who it was. She didn't know his name, but it was the guy with the sixty-nine tattooed on his cheek. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and-"

"No, it's alright. It's just a small cut, nothing big." Hisagi exclaimed, bringing his hand up to his face. He winced slightly when he felt the blood. So much for just a 'small cut'. "Anyways, what are you doing here alone? Shouldn't you be with Hitsugaya-taichou or Rangiku-san?" He asked, ignoring the small stinging on the side of his face.

"I wanted to train so I came out here, and hold on- let me heal that for you." Sakura exclaimed, walking up to him. Before Hisagi could protest against it, Sakura's hand was pressed gently against his face, her eyes closed in concentration as she healed the minor cut. Healing him was different, and she had to be more careful, considering he wasn't_ really_ human. It was strange, thinking in this way.

Hisagi immediately relaxed as he felt a strange energy wash over him. He fought the urge to lean against her touch. It was just so soft, and extremely gentle. Suddenly he realized how close they were standing away from each other. She was quite shorter than him, but tall enough to be able to stretch her arm up to touch his face. If she stepped on the tips of her toes, she'd be able to kis-

Hisagi stopped himself before his thoughts got too far, but he felt his cheeks heat up anyways. When Sakura moved her hand away, finished with the job, Hisagi couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Sakura smiled shakily at him, apologizing again for attacking him. "It's alright. It was my fault for surprising you." He replied. He paused a moment before continuing, "I believe I haven't properly introduced myself to you. My name is Shuuhei Hisagi, current vice-captain of the ninth squad."

"And I'm Sakura Haruno, now third seat of the tenth squad." Sakura replied, smiling as she extended her hand for him to shake. He accepted it gladly, and watched with interest as she sheathed her sword once again. "So what are you doing out here by yourself?" Sakura asked, curiously. Hisagi shrugged, saying that he was heading over to train as well. At this, Sakura's eyes lightened up with excitement. She'd been wanting a sparring partner, but her captain was too busy and Rangiku-san was much too drunk. "Would you like to spar with me?"

"... Okay, sure." Hisagi replied, though slightly reluctant. Should he go easy on her? He didn't know exactly how powerful she was. "Zanpaktou, Kido, or Hakuda?" Sakura scratched her head in confusion- she didn't know what Kido or Hakuda was, and all she really wanted to practice was taijutsu, so she asked if he had any idea what it was. When he shook his head, Sakura elaborated more on it, telling him it was hand-to-hand combat. "Your taijutsu sound similar to our Hakuda." Hisagi exclaimed, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay then, Hakuda it is." Sakura exclaimed, jumping back into a stance. Hisagi was the first to attack, sending a fury of punches, all of which Sakura dodged expertly. The two fought heatedly, barely landing a hit on each other. Sakura's kicks and punches weren't enhanced with chakra, but it still hurt like hell, and whenever she got hit, she would immediately heal herself right up. Hisagi was glad they were only _sparring_.

By the time they decided to take a break, both were panting. "That was fun." Sakura stated, sitting down in the shade of a tree. Hisagi nodded, but decided to stay standing. "Thanks for sparring with me." Sakura continued, smiling up at Hisagi. "I was beginning to think I'd have to train by myself from now on." She said, looking down at her feet. _Alone_. She hated the meaning of the word. She hated everything about being alone.

After a slight pause, Sakura looked up at him."Are you doing anything later?" She asked, sounding almost hopeful. When Hisagi shook his head, Sakura's eyes immediately lit up again. Hisagi felt himself blush slightly at her reaction, though he wondered exactly what the girl was up to. "Would you teach me some Kido spells? If you _want_ to that is. I wouldn't want to keep you from anything you _wanted_ to do-"

"Sure. When do you want to start?" Hisagi asked, interrupting her before she could continue rambling. Sakura grinned at him, saying she'd love to start 'as soon as possible'. Hisagi chuckled at her eagerness, and held out his hand to help her get up. She gladly took it, blushing slightly. She wondered what kido was like- was it anything similar to genjutsu? Ninjutsu? She couldn't wait for Hisagi to teach her.

He taught her the basics, and was surprised she knew how to control her spirit energy even a little. They spent a couple of hours on how to control it properly, and with her experience in chakra, she had been able to get the hang of it. Controlling chakra and spirit energy weren't that different to control- the only problem she had was controlling both at the same time.

He taught a couple of binding spells, as well as a few destructive spells- she made quick and wonderful progress, though they weren't very strong. Hisagi wasn't surprised, though. Experience and reiatsu was needed to make the spells powerful. She lacked experience and she was already exhausted so her reiatsu was already low, but she continued to try. Her determination was something worth admiring, he thought to himself.

"This is quite tiring, actually." Sakura exclaimed- she had barely taken a break and was extremely exhausted. Her Inner simply laughed at her for pushing herself too hard again, but Sakura ignored it and pushed the voice in the back of her mind. She was used to intense training. Back when she trained with Tsunade and her friends, she'd keep going until she was at the point of passing out sometimes, much to the others' dismay.

"Would you like to take a break?" Hisagi asked- he was tired as well, but not as much as Sakura. "We should go get some water or grab something to eat." Hisagi suggested, but Sakura shook her head, saying she'd be fine. Hisagi nodded his head, disbeliving, but nonetheless continued to teach her how to properly perform kido, and how to control her power.

After about a couple of hours, Sakura suddenly dropped to the floor. She hadn't eaten or drank anything for quite a while, and was dehydrated after such intense training. She felt like smacking her forehead- she had gotten too caught up with learning kido she didn't bother to think twice about her proper health. She was a medic, for goodness sake! She should have known better.

Hisagi immediately rushed to her side, asking if she was alright. Sakura nodded, saying she was just tired and needed a bit of water. He nodded, helping her up. Her knees felt like jello- she had overexerted herself again. Not only had she been practicing kido, but she had also been practicing her chakra control. She had tried to see what would happen if she combined both chakra and spirit energy together- and although it was tiring work, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Her spirit energy and chakra were two distinct and separate energies. After a while she had decided there was no point in trying to force the two together.

The two walked over to the nearest shop and bought some snacks and some water, which Sakura happily gulped down. Hisagi couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she did so. "I wouldn't have minded having you in my squad." Hisagi exclaimed, watching as Sakura scarfed down the snacks she had purchased. After chewing for a moment, she quickly swallowed and started to explain to him about how a bunch of captains had come and tested her strength.

Hisagi could only nod along as she explained in full detail about what had happened between her and Mayuri. He was surprised to hear that she had gotten him to release his bankai, especially after only one meeting- although with Kurosaki and the other humans, it didn't seem too strange. "And then this one captain said I probably should stay with someone I've already met, which happened to be Hitsugaya-taichou." Sakura finished.

"Ah. I see." Hisagi replied, still surprised. Who would have thought somebody like this girl could contain so much power? At first glance, she may seem innocent and somewhat weak, but anybody who acted upon that would be painfully proved wrong. She even had short, candy pink hair, and those bright green eyes. He was somewhat disappointed to say that when he looked at them, he could see that she missed her home dearly. She missed her friends, her old life- but who wouldn't in her position? He truly felt sorry for her.

"Hisagi-san, is it possible to concentrate spirit energy and use it to make your movements faster? Or even stronger?" Sakura asked. She knew how to do things like that with chakra very easily, and if she found out how to do it with spirit energy, she'd be ecstatic. There was so many things she never knew she could do, and she absolutely loved it. For once she didn't feel so overshadowed.

Even though she was quite strong in Konoha, she knew she'd never really be able to compare to someone like Naruto, who had the Kyuubi's power in him. Or even Sasuke and Kakashi, who both had the Sharingan. There was also Lee- unable to perform anything but taijutsu, but he was simply amazing at it. Then there was Tenten, who was an expert with weapons, and even Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy. She couldn't help but feel overshadowed when there were such powerful people surrounding her all the time.

"That depends. There is shunko, Yuroichi's technique. She concentrates her spirit energy to her back and shoulders for more power and a faster speed. There is also shunpo, where shinigami use spirit energy to run faster than what the eye can see." Hisagi exclaimed, and Sakura grinned, saying she wanted to try. Hisagi sighed, "Don't you think you should rest a bit, first? You've barely even taken a break, Sakura-san."

"Nah, I'm fine, now. Let's go back and you can teach me, again!" Sakura exclaimed, taking Hisagi by the arm and dragging him off to the training grounds once again. Hisagi laughed- since when had she become so comfortable and friendly around him? They had only met today. Hisagi watched as the shop owner whispered something to her assistant, both giggling as they waved off Hisagi and Sakura. He figured it was probably some gossip.

"Can you demonstrate for me?" Sakura asked, letting his arm go. He moved it around a bit- the girl had quite a grip. Hisagi nodded, using his spirit energy to run to a tree a distance away and then back to Sakura. Her eyes widened- it really _was_ fast. She'd been able to use chakra to enhance her speed, but she'd never gotten as fast as Hisagi had. He chuckled at her reaction, and explained to her how to use her spirit energy.

After many failed, and slightly embarassing attempts, Sakura had _finally_ gotten a hold of it, and was now running around the training field at lightning speed. It was such a different feel to it than her the normal ninja tricks, but it was worth all the frustration of getting used to it. "This is so awesome!" Sakura exclaimed. She stopped in front of Hisagi who was watching her with interest clearly written all over his face. "How about that other one by 'Your-a-witchey'?"

"You mean Shunko?" Hisagi asked, fighting the urge to laugh. Your a witchy? It wasn't too hard to remember the name 'Yuroichi', was it? Sakura simply nodded, and Hisagi scratched his head, wondering how to explain it. "I'm not completely sure how she does it- Yuroichi-san made it up herself." Hisagi replied. Sakura nodded, an idea coming to her.

Since spirit energy was similar to chakra, Sakura summoned some spirit energy to her entire arm, using her training as a medic-nin to enhance her muscles and punched the ground beneath her, causing it to shake, but only slightly. She made a mental note of that- chakra is higher in power while spirit energy is higher in speed. "That was impressive, Sakura-san. May I ask how you learned how to do that?" Hisagi asked, curious.

"I concentrated some spirit energy to my arm muscles." Sakura replied with a grin. Hisagi nodded, understanding slightly. It wasn't unheard of, since that was basically what shunpo was. Suddenly Sakura poked him on the side, causing him to flinch slightly. "Spar?" She asked, looking up at him eagerly. She couldn't wait to try it out. She felt like a young child who had just been given a new toy.

"Alright. Hakudo and Kido only. None of your 'chakra', either." Hisagi replied, and the two started going at it again. Sakura was improving her technique, and had been able to land a few hits on Hisagi. He was more experienced with the spirit energy and had decided to go easy on her. She was only beginning and needed to brush up on controlling it, after all. He didn't want to injure her too badly.

Sakura realized that controlling spirit energy was basically the same as controlling chakra, except the feel and the flow were different. Sakura, being naturally talented at controlling her chakra, was successfully controlling her spirit energy just as well when she focused enough. The only problems she really had was trying to control both at the same time.

After a while, Sakura had caught Hisagi off-guard and summoned her spirit energy into her fist. She punched him, sending him flying backwards towards a couple of trees. Before he flew far enough to actually hit one, he suddenly stopped- in midair, no less. Sakura could only blink as her mind registered what had just happened. Hisagi rose an eyebrow at her incredulous expression- had he done something strange?

"Wha? How did you do that?" Sakura asked, running up to him. Hisagi shrugged, saying he had been able to stop himself from crashing into the trees by solidifying spiritual energy underneath his feath and behind him. Sakura gaped at him- "So you can walk on _air_?" Hisagi nodded and Sakura composed herself. She had no problems walking on water- it was just a matter of controlling chakra, which was one of her special traits. She never knew it was possible to walk on _air_, however. "Teach me that, too, _please_?" She begged.

"Alright, alright." Hisagi replied, chuckling. He explained to her how to do it, but she was having more difficulty trying to _solidify_ the particles underneath her feet. She couldn't solidfy chakra, so it was a completely new experience. He held her steady as she stepped up into the air, as cautious and careful as she could. "Be careful, now. You might lose your step and accidentally fa-" The moment he decided to warn her, Sakura had accidentally mistepped and fell forewards, right into Hisagi.

Unfortunately, he had hadn't been prepared for it, but when he had fallen down, the impact hadn't hurt _too_ much. She had basically fallen onto him, which probably meant his bottom would be a little sore when he got up. The two were lying on the ground, with Sakura sprawled on top of him. Sakura used her arms as leverage to lift her head off his chest and the two locked eyes, their faces barely an inch away.

Suddenly a cough was heard, and the two quickly turned to look at who had made the noise. To their surprise, Toushirou was standing before them, his arms folded in front of his chest in a very cross-looking manner. The two looked back at each other, realizing their current position. Sakura was sprawled all over him, looking dishelved and-

And she was really giving her captain the wrong expression.

Both blushed and Sakura immediately picked herself up off of him, apologizing profusely for being such a clutz and falling on him so unexpectedly. At this said, Toushirou's angry expression softened slightly, though nobody noticed. "Well, I better get back to working." Sakura exclaimed, scratching her head sheepishly. "Oh, and thank you, Hisagi-san." She murmured, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He turned scarlet and Sakura walked silently to Toushirou.

Toushirou's expression became darker again. Exactly what had happened between the two? He and Sakura started walking back to where Matsumoto was, and he couldn't help but ask Sakura, "Is it common in your village to kiss cheeks as a sign of thanks?" He tried to make sure his voice stayed as serious as ever, and that he didn't sound jealous, because he definitely _wasn't_. Flirting so shamelessly in public was just... _indecent_, and it irritated him.

"Well, no." Sakura replied, but before Toushirou could open his mouth to ask why she did so anyways, she continued with her explanation. "But Rangiku-san said that it was the proper way of thanking the higher ranks here in Soul Society." Sakura replied. Toushirou clenched his fist, _extremely_ annoyed. Matsumoto was going to get a huge lecture, later. She was always causing him so much unecessary problems!

"Is something wrong, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Sakura asked, slightly confused at his sudden angry demeanor. Toushirou shook his head and muttered a 'no', but Sakura prodded him further. "I'm not stupid, taichou, I can tell you're angry at something." She folded her arms in front of her chest and looked at him. Toushirou muttered something unintelligible, and Sakura rose her eyebrow. "You can tell me, you kn-"

"It's none of your business." Toushirou snapped back. Sakura cringed at his tone of voice and immediately shut her mouth. She hadn't meant to upset her captain- she was only trying to help. She felt slightly angry as well, and she huffed, turning away slightly. He didn't have to be such a jerk about it. Toushirou furrowed his eyebrows in exasperation- now she was _angry_ at him? "Sorry, I didn't mean to-" He started, trying to apologize.

"Don't bother." Sakura interrupted him. She was in a sour mood, now- she didn't feel like hearing her captain's apology. "You were right, anyways. Of course it's none of my business. I'm just another problem to you, right? You probably don't even see me as an officer but a _burden_ that had just suddenly appeared." Sakura finished, her anger getting the better of her. She wasn't stupid, she knew why she had been appointed such a high seat.

When she really thought about it, it did make sense, no matter how much she hated the realization. Maybe they had only been so kind to her because of the power she demonstrated? She knew that here in Soul Society, she was seen as a somewhat strong and powerful figure. She already contained enough power from being a ninja. Not as much as Naruto or Sasuke or even Kakashi, but she knew she wasn't completely weak, even though she felt like she was, at times. Her strengths as a ninja combined with her newly found powers made her even stronger- and it was entirely possible that the shinigami had found her as a threat.

She had found out that the combined chakra and spirit energy made it seem like her reiatsu was huge, but in reality she only had a normal amount of each. Of course, the others probably didn't know that- and Sakura planned on keeping it that way. For now, she'd let them believe she was extremely strong. If they thought of her as anything less, she was afraid they might try to eliminate her. She still wanted to find a way back to Konoha. She needed to, at all costs.

"I didn't mean it like that, Sakura-san. I apologize for my rudeness." Toushirou exclaimed, awkwardly. Sakura decided to play it nice and she nodded, but stayed stiff. Toushirou felt embarassed- what had caused him to snap at her like that? He hadn't meant to take out his anger at her- it's not like it was her fault, anyways. He sighed inwardly- it was going to be a _long _day.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Wake up!"

"Goddamnit, Naruto! I'm trying to sleep!" Sakura exclaimed, sleepily as she slowly opened her eyes. After blinking away the blurriness, Sakura was staring into a pair of brown eyes from a pink haired gir- _pink_? Was she seeing right? She didn't know anybody who had pink hair. The girl in front of her didn't look any older than six. Her large eyes were staring at her innocently, and Sakura wondered how exactly she had been able to gain access into her room.

"I'm not this 'Naruto' person you're talking about! _My_ name is Yachiru Kusajishi." Yachiru exclaimed, grinning. Sakura bolted up and looked around the room- how come she hadn't sensed the girl? Why wasn't she in her own bedroom? And why wasn't Naru- realization struck her. She had somehow forgotten in her sleep about all the events that had taken place the other day. She was in _Soul Society_, now. Seireitei or something. She frowned, slightly- she wanted to be back in Konoha. "Why are you sad? Come with me, I'll show you around Seireitei!"

"Uh, how do you know my name? And how did you get into my room?" Sakura asked, slightly suspicious. She was wearing a shinigami uniform, but she looked so young! Maybe she was in the same situation as what Hitsugaya-taichou was in. Yachiru replied, saying that she heard from 'Ken-chan' that there was a new pink-haired girl and that she wanted to meet her. Like Sakura, she had never met another pink-haired woman before and figured that it would be pretty awesome finding somebody with the same exotic- but completely natural- hair color as her own. "Oh, alright- but that doesn't explain how you got in my room."

"The door was unlocked." Yachiru replied, pointing at the already open door. She laughed as Sakura's mouth basically fell open. Sakura felt like smacking her head- she was so exhausted she had actually forgotten to lock her own door. Anybody could have gotten in and killed her! What if they had decided to dispose of her while she was asleep? It would have been the perfect chance. "Rangiku-san showed me where you lived, if you're wondering." Yachiru added, looking up at her innocently. Sakura nodded and excused herself to go to the bathroom quickly and get changed.

"What time is it, Yachiru-san?" Sakura asked as she stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a shinigami uniform. Her ninja gear was bloody, and torn everywhere, so she had to borrow some clothes. She decided she'd have to get her clothes fixed eventually- she wanted to return to Konoha presentable, after all, and it would be pretty strange wearing the clothes that were given to her. In the meantime, the shinigami outfit would suffice. She tucked in a couple of kunai underneath her clothes, just in case. After being sent to such a strange place, Sakura figured anything could happen. _Anything_. And she would need to be prepared.

"Really early in the morning!" She replied, and Sakura smiled at her childishness. She checked the time on a clock- six thirty? She wasn't even sure what time she had to get start working. Rangiku-san and her taichou hadn't said anything about it the other day. "Come with me! I asked Rangiku-chan if I could borrow you today and she said yes!"

Sakura laughed, nervously. Since when could she be 'borrowed'? And how come it depended on _Rangiku_-san? "I'm going to bring you all around Seireitei!" Yachiru exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. Sakura nodded, murmuring something about needing a tour, anyways. She needed to be able to know her way around the city if she was to live here for an unknown amount of time. "All the captains have a meeting, anyways. I'm sure they won't mind if I show you around!"

Sakura nodded her head, allowing the small-looking girl lead her out. Yachiru chattered enthusiastically, talking about her adventures with hollows and things alike. Sakura mused to herself as the girl continued- she had the whole 'hollows' thing explained to her, but she still hadn't fully grasped the idea. She was curious as to their appearances and their power.

"Yachiru-san, could you please tell me more about the hollows?" Sakura asked, interrupting the girl in the middle of a story. Yachiru grinned and immediately obliged with her request. What could it hurt? Ken-chan had told her to be careful, because apparently this lady had insane strength, but she seemed nice enough to trust! With such a small amount of information, Yachiru decided they wouldn't have placed her in a squad if they didn't trust her and that it would help if she told her about the _hollows_. What if one attacked her and she didn't know what it was? She could get seriously injured if she was ill-prepared!

As she led Sakura around, Yachiru told her about the different stages. She first explained the reasoning as to why they even existed in the first place, as well as how some ate each other to create even more powerful hollows. Yachiru told her about the whole situation with Aizen and the other captains that had abandoned Soul Society, and that Aizen was using something to create arrancar, the most powerful form of hollows.

Sakura nodded along, finally understanding most of what she was telling her. It seemed so bizarre- the idea that these monsters even existed. What about the ones in her own world? In Konoha? Were there hollows that existed there? None of it made sense to her, and she wondered exactly how all these things could exist at the same time. Did it mean that Sarutobi-sama's soul was here in Soul Society, outside of Seireitei's walls? The idea was strange and completely foreign to her.

"I'm hungry! Would you like to eat some candy with me?" Yachiru suddenly exclaimed, leading Sakura to a small store. Yachiru ordered a small box full of sweets and chose a table to sit down at. There wasn't many people awake this early, and they were far enough from the other customers to be able to talk in private. She urged Sakura to eat some of the sweets as well. "Okay, so where did I end off at?" She asked, taking a bite out of a caramel covered strawberry.

"Something about the 'arrancar'." Sakura replied, accepting a couple of sweets. It wasn't a great breakfast, but she figured she'd be able to find something more healthy, later. What the small girl was telling her seemed too important to pass up- she might not get a chance to gain information like this in a long time. Yachiru nodded, finishing the rest of the strawberry.

"The arrancar live in Hueco Mundo, where Aizen, Tousen, and Gin live too._ I've_ also heard about vizards- shinigami and hollow combined. Ichigo is a vizard, apparently, but I don't know too much about them." Yachiru stated, digging her hand in the box to pull out another sweet. Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. Who would want to even _be_ a hollow? From what Yachiru was telling her, it sounded absolutely horrible. She had also heard some people talking about Ichigo, and had found out the other day he was a 'substitute shinigami', but she wanted to know more about him.

"Can you tell me about the Ichigo guy?" Sakura asked, taking another sweet as well. Yachiru definitely had good choice. The stuff was actually really good. Yachiru nodded, and had even told her about what happened when he first came here. Sakura found out about how he was in charge of helping souls in a small town, and that his friends helped him along. Yachiru told her about Ichigo's friends, and how they all had strange powers as well, especially the 'quincy'. Sakura had gotten Yachiru to explain the quincy to her as well.

"They're nice people- Ichigo and his friends. Too bad Orihime-chan got caught by the arrancar." Yachiru explained, and Sakura's eyes widened. The girl with the strange healing abilities? "Ichigo and the others are out there saving her, though." Sakura nodded slowly- she felt sorry for the girl, and hoped that she was okay. Who'd want to be caught prisoner in some foreign place, surrounded by extremely powerful people that could kill you on a whim? She would've been terrified.

"Well look who it is!" Rangiku exclaimed, having just arrived and was now pulling a chair beside Sakura and Yachiru. "Yachiru-chan, may I please talk to you for a moment?" Rangiku exclaimed, and Yachiru nodded. Both looked apologetically at Sakura for a moment before they scurried off in another corner. Sakura sighed lightly, taking another treat from the box. She heard someone clear their throat and she turned around to come face to face with Hisagi.

"Hisagi-kun!" She exclaimed, inviting him to sit in front of her. He obliged, but declined Sakura's offer for a treat. He had just eaten and wasn't hungry for sweets at the moment. He watched as she took out a caramel covered strawberry and took a small bite into it, savoring the taste. She looked like she was enjoying herself, that was for certain. Suddenly a thought struck him.

'Since when,' Hisagi suddenly thought, 'did my name become Hisagi-_kun_ instead of Hisagi-_san_ to her?' He asked himself. It wasn't as if he minded or anything, of course. He was only wondering. "So what brought you out here?" He asked, waiting patiently as Sakura finished eating the last bit of her delicious looking strawberry.

"Yachiru-san decided to give me a big tour of Seireitei." Sakura replied, smiling at him. Her inner started going on about how cute the man was, and Sakura mentally groaned. She couldn't afford embarassing herself because of her inner's thoughts. "And what brings _you_ here?" She asked. Hisagi shrugged, saying that he was going to head over to the training grounds to train a bit when he had spotted her alone at the table. "Yeah. Rangiku-san needed to talk privately with Yachiru-san." Sakura stated, sounding slightly wary about it.

Hisagi nodded, saying he had seen them walk off to an isolated corner. "What do you think they are talking about?" He decided to ask. Sakura shrugged, stating that they were probably talking about what information Yachiru-san couldn't reveal to her, and other important things. Hisagi nodded- they probably _were_ talking about what they weren't supposed to tell her. She was, after all, the new girl. Nobody was even sure she could be trusted. She was a sweet girl and a nice sparring partner. He wanted to trust her, he really did- but there was always a possibility that she could betray him at any moment.

* * *

"Why did you call me to talk with you privately?" Yachiru asked, cutely. Rangiku looked around to make sure nobody was listening before she decided to explain to Yachiru about her matchmaking schemes. When she finished, Yachiru gaped up at her. "_Shiro-chan_? Are you sure, Rangiku-chan?" Yachiru asked, completely surprised. She looked over at Sakura, who had just invited Hisagi to sit down with her. They seemed to be having a great time on their own, and were even smiling at each other! Yachiru grinned to herself, she had a new idea. Rangiku kept going with her reasoning. "Well I think those two look really cute together! Taichou's reall-"

"I think Sakura-chan and _Hisagi-kun_ should be together." Yachiru declared, grinning. Rangiku's eyes widened. Hisagi and Sakura? She thought for a moment, considering the possibility, and though it seemed entirely possible, she still wanted Sakura to be paired up with her captain. "Look, Rangiku-chan! They're getting along!" Yachiru exclaimed, her grin widening. Rangiku looked over, and realized that Yachiru wasn't lying.

"I still think taichou and Sakura should be together." She replied, stubbornly. Yachiru sighed, immediately disagreeing. She looked over at the couple, who were contentedly chatting to each other, and wait- was that a blush on Hisagi's cheeks? Yachiru clapped her hands once in excitement. This was going to be easy-peasy! She was going to be the best match-maker there was!

Rangiku, as if reading her thoughts, cleared her throat, stating that both her and Yachiru should return. They had left Sakura for quite a while now, and they didn't want her to think they had forgotten her or something. "Let's just wait it out for a little bit!" Yachiru exclaimed, not bothering to hide the sneaky grin she was currently sporting. "They look nice together, ne Rangiku-san?"

"I'm sure they've talked long enough, already. I think we should get back to them." Rangiku replied, watching as Yachiru pouted. "You know they might get suspicious." Rangiku exclaimed, pursing her lips in thought. "We'll keep our ideas a secret, then, alright? We'll only tell a couple of people." Rangiku stated, and Yachiru nodded. 'Heheh,' Rangiku thought to herself giddily, '_I'm_ going to get taichou and Sakura to fall in love!'

The two easily-trusting, confident women grinned at each other, similar thoughts running through their minds. They already trusted the young girl- they knew that deep inside, she was a good person. They could tell just by looking in her eyes, her current actions, and just by the way she talked. To Rangiku, it was now a contest to see which couple would happen first. To Yachiru, it was a game- and she _loved_ playing games. Ken-chan never usually played with her, and now that a chance to play was presented to her, she definitely wouldn't let it pass.

_'Let the games begin_.'

* * *

"Sorry we left you for so long, Sakura-san. I had to speak with Yachiru about some important business." Rangiku exclaimed, smiling sweetly. Sakura nodded her head, saying that it was alright. She had Hisagi to talk with while they were gone, anyways. "Has Yachiru introduced you to the other lieutenants, yet?" She asked, and Sakura shook her head. They had just gone out, after all.

"Wellk, I better be going." Hisagi exclaimed, standing up. Sakura felt somewhat disappointed- she wasn't going to deny it, she liked his company. He was, so far, the person she was most comfortable to be around. He had helped her with the whole kido thing, too, so she figured they were at least _friends_ by now. "See you later, Sakura-san. I'd like to spar with you again some time." He offered with a small smile.

"O-oh, alright." Sakura replied, biting her lip to stop the grin from growing too big. Unknown to both Hisagi and Sakura, Yachiru was grinning triumphantly at Rangiku, whose mouth was agape. She couldn't let the little girl win! Not when so much was at stake. If Toushirou and Sakura hooked up, Toushirou would become so much happier and then they'd be able to have so much more parties! If everything went according to _her_ plan, taichou would even let her drink sake while she worked! Not that she didn't, already, but it wasn't much fun when she got caught... He was way too uptight sometimes.

When Hisagi was out of sight, Sakura let her mouth widen into the grin she had been desperately holding back. Hisagi was _so_ much cuter than Sasuke! While she mentally complimented Hisagi, Yachiru spoke up. "Sakura-chan! Let's go meet the other lieutenants." Yachiru suggested, looking up at Rangiku expectantly. "All the captains are still at the meeting, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind if the new girl dropped by to see the lieutenants."

"Yeah, it couldn't hurt to get you acquainted with everyone." Rangiku said, agreeing with the girl. Sakura merely nodded- she couldn't wait for her sparring session with Hisagi. "Let's head over to Kira's, first." Rangiku suggested. Yachiru sighed, saying that all Rangiku was going to do was drink sake with him, and that it was really boring- besides, the stuff tasted nasty! Why do all the adults drink it all the time? "Wait, you've tried sake before?"

"Well one time, when Ken-chan was drinking with his friends... I thought it was juice!" Yachiru exclaimed, defensively. Rangiku laughed, saying that she'd get used to the taste _eventually_. Sakura laughed at this- it was what Tsunade-sama had told her when she had her first sip of sake. She had ended up coughing from the burning feeling in her throat. It had been pretty strong. She could tolerate it now, but preferred not to drink as much as her shishou.

"Kira-chan!" Yachiru called out, as soon as the three had reached the building. "Come out and meet Sakura-chan!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down with excitement. Sakura mentally sweatdropped- was she and Naruto really like this when they were younger? The thought made her feel like cringing and chuckling at the same time. The sight of the hyper girl made her smile- she was quite adorable.

Kira finally stepped out, smiling lightheartedly. "Welcome to Soul Society, Sakura-san. I've heard about you." Kira said. Sakura decided he was friendly enough, polite as well. First impressions did count, after all- though she knew not to judge from it. She thanked him for the greeting and he invited them inside. "Sake, Rangiku-san?" He asked, and Rangiku immediately nodded her head. "And you, Sakura-san?" She shook her head, and instead asked for some water.

"Apple juice for me, please!" Yachiru exclaimed, beaming up at the blonde. He nodded his head in return, leaving the three alone to get their drinks. Sakura sighed inwardly- what would this _Kira_ fellow think of her? She didn't know many people here, and if she was going to stay her for the rest of her life... She subonconsciously gulped. She didn't _want_ to stay here for the rest of her life. She needed- no, she was _going_ to find a way to get back! "Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Yachiru suddenly asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about Kira. He's just a little shy at first." Rangiku exclaimed, winking. Sakura smiled at her, saying that she was absolutely fine. She didn't want to offend them or anything by stating the fact she wanted to leave. They'd understand of course, she was sure. She let her mind wander again, wondering if everybody in Konoha had noticed her absence. It had only been two days here in Soul Society. Was time even the same in both places?

She counted all the days she was away on the mission and came to the conclusion that she was due back to Konoha by tomorrow. And even then they wouldn't really start worrying or searching for her until a full three days have passed and she hadn't showed up. It's not like they'd be able to find her in the first place. She was in another dimenson, for crying out loud! She tried her best to make sure her disappointment wasn't shown on her face.

Kira came back quickly with the drinks held securely in his arms. He passed each one of them their glasses and settled down to sit in front of Rangiku. "What brings you three here?" He asked, taking a sip of his water. He wasn't in the mood to be drinking sake at the moment- his squad was without a leader and then there was the human girl, Orohime, that had been captured by Aizen and the arrancar. He knew it shouldn't bother him much, but he also knew Renji and Rukia were out there fighting for her as well. It just didn't seem right to be standing by simply waiting for Aizen to attack.

"I thought Sakura-chan would like to meet the other lieutenants." Yachiru exclaimed, smiling at Sakura who returned the gesture. Kira nodded, analyzing Sakura silently. She had short, vibrant pink hair. Her eyes were an emerald green. She had a petite frame, and she really wasn't horrible to look at. At the moment, she seemed a little out of it, deep in thought, but who wouldn't be? Finding out one was sent to another dimension is quite shocking news, and even after one full day, it was still quite a lot to take in.

"We're going to see the others later." Rangiku exclaimed. "Would you like to come with us? Who do you think we should visit next?" She asked Kira, who politely turned down her offer. He explained that he had too much work to do, and had to work things out with his squad and everything. Rangiku's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, oops. Sorry we bothered you, then. Yachiru, Sakura! We should probably leave Kira alone, now, eheh."

"It was no problem, actually." Kira replied, sweatdropping mentally. Rangiku made it sound like he wanted them gone as fast as humanly possible- which wasn't true. He had been curious about the new girl with strange powers everybody in Seireitei was gossipping about. Deciding to be polite, he exclaimed,"I hope to become further acquainted with you, Haruno-s-"

"Sakura is fine." Sakura replied, smiling at him. Haruno-san was so... _Formal_. She had grown to get used to Naruto's constant 'Sakura-chan', and felt slightly awkward when she was called by her last name. Haruno-san was her _father_, not her. Kira nodded, smiling back. "Oh, and is it alright if I use your washroom before we leave?" She asked, blushing slightly.

"Of course, it's down the hall and to your left." Kira replied, watching the girl hurry away. When she was out of earshot, Rangiku and Yachiru suddenly, and very quickly, brought up their little contest. "_Toushirou-taichou_?" Kira exclaimed, wide-eyed. How would Rangiku ever be able to achieve something as unorthodox as that? "Sorry Rangiku-san, but I'm going with Yachiru on this one."

"What? No way!" Rangiku exclaimed, hands on her waist. Yachiru jumped up enthusiastically and let out a long 'Yesss!'. "Oh, c'mon, Kira! Don't you have any faith in me?" She asked, making a puppydog face. Kira shook his head. Rangiku sighed in defeat at his gesture- why was everybody against her on this? Didn't anybody else think that Toushirou and Sakura made an extremely adorable couple? "Well I say tha-"

"I'm back and ready to go!" Sakura exclaimed as she walked back to the three, oblivious of their conversation subject. "What were you all talking about?" They all glanced at each other and shrugged, saying it wasn't anything big. Sakura nodded, smiling at them. Rangiku seemed to sigh with relief, and Kira mentally sweatdropped. Yachiru simply beamed up at the girl, her teeth sparkly white.

"Let's visit Nanao-chan next!" Yachiru suggested, and Rangiku agreed. They went to her squad's area, but found that she wasn't there but at the library. When Sakura and her had been introduced to each other, they had immediately started to get along, much to Rangiku and Yachiru's pleasure. Sakura, being a reader like Nanao, discussed many things literary, and Nanao had even suggested some books for Sakura to read.

"She was nice." Sakura said as they left the library with a stack of books in her arm. They quickly dropped off the books in her room and headed out again. This time to Chojiro Sasakibe, who both Yachiru and Rangiku weren't very familiar with. He seemed polite and had given Sakura a genuine welcome. She had been introduced to Isane as well, both discussing anything that concerned the medical field. Sakura personally liked her, finding her peaceful and quiet nature quite refreshing.

When she was introduced to Marechiyo, she decided that she didn't really like his arrogant attitude. He was too full of himself, and was extremely dull. The trip to Iba's had gone smoothly, though Sakura disliked his smoking habits. Rangiku and Yachiru even introduced her to Nemu. Sakura, to say the least, was extremely fascinated when she found out about her immunity to poisons and having been created by _Mayuri_. She felt sorry for the girl, knowing that her captain was absolutely _crazy_, but she felt an understanding. It was almost like Naruto's and her loyalty to Sasuke, at how they would gladly welcome him back to Konoha with open arms.

"Let's visit Momo-chan next!" Yachiru exclaimed. "She's really nice, Sakura-chan, you'll definitely like her!" Sakura nodded as Yachiru led the way. When they had finally found her, Sakura found that Hinamori reminded her very much of Hinata. She seemed like such a sweet girl, and Yachiru's prediction was correct. She had even offered some cookies, which Yachiru gladly accepted.

"I heard you were in Shir- _Toushirou_-taichou's squad." Momo exclaimed, smiling softly at the thought of her old time friend. She chuckled inwardly at the thought of how her appointed nickname for him irritated him to no end. He was just so... He was always so serious. "How are you liking it so far? Here, in Seireitei?" She asked Sakura. The girl seemed nice, and was glad Toushirou had somebody like her on his squad.

"It's great, actually. Everyone here has been great to me." Sakura replied, smiling back. "Well, except for Mayuri. He creeps the hell out of me." Sakura muttered, shuddering slightly at the thought. Momo laughed at her reaction, agreeing with the fact that the man was indeed very creepy. He had even cut off his own ears! De didn't even look human with that strange headpiece and his facepaint- if that's what it even was.

The four continued talking, with Sakura and Momo getting to know each other better. Sakura had explained her situation, from being caught in Itachi's Mangekyou, to waking with a crowd of people around her and learning all about the shinigami. Momo had replied to her, saying that hopefully everything would eventually work out in the end. "Thanks, Momo-san." Sakura replied, smiling at her words of comfort.

"Well, we better go. Hisagi's probably waiting at the training ground, still." Yachiru exclaimed. Sakura's eyes widened and her cheeks pinkened lightly. She had completely forgotten about her sparring session with him! Now that she was reminded of it, she couldn't help but feel excited. "See you, Momo-chan!" Yachiru called out, before grabbing Sakura's hand and tugging her out as she said a quick bye.

"I'll meet up with you two later! I just need to talk with Momo here about something!" Rangiku exclaimed, and as soon as she was sure Sakura was out of earshot, she turned to Momo. She simply looked up at Rangiku, unsure of what she needed to discuss with her. "Okay, me and Yachiru have a little contest going on. She's trying to get Sakura to hook up with Hisagi," Hinamori laughed, realizing now that there really was a reason Sakura had blushed at the mention of him at the training grounds. "while _I'm_ trying to hook her up with taichou."

Momo gaped. "Sh-shiro-chan? Are you sure, Rangiku-san? I don't think he's looking for a relationship right now." She said, completely surprised. Rangiku sighed exasperatedly, stating that even Kira had been opposed of her idea. She started ranting about how it was an amazing idea, yet Kira and Yachiru didn't agree with her- until Momo interrupted her. "No, no, I think it's a great idea! It's just... How?" Momo asked, causing Rangiku's eyes to light up.

Finally, someone was on _her_ side!

* * *

End of chapter! TBC. I hoped you liked it. If there's any random f's around, sorry about that. When I'm looking for certain parts I press ctrl+f and sometimes I screw even that up, eheh.

Can someone give me a list of all the squads and what they're for? Like fourth squad and healing- things like that. I've tried looking it up but I can't find any information on it. It would also help me lots if somebody told me if vice-captains and lieutenants are different from each other because I'm not so sure.

Also, in case you haven't gotten it yet... Inner Sakura is Rosas. Rosas is Inner Sakura. They are one in the same.


	3. Problems Arising

Diclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Kishimoto does. I don't own Bleach or its characters, either.

Title: Between Two Worlds

Summary: Sakura finds herself in a different dimension after getting caught by Itachi's Mangekyou. She discovers that she has shinigami powers and feelings for two shinigami. When she is offered a chance to go home, will she take it? BleachNaruto crossover. Hitsugaya x Sakura x Shuuhei

Thanks for the squad information, especially whitedeathangel03 for giving me so much details about it.

Also, since the anime isn't that fast, and I don't read the manga, I'm making up what happens with the whole Orihime and Hueco Mundo thing. So yeah, this story won't really go according to the actual anime. A lot of changes have already been made, anyways. Eheh. I hope it doesn't deter you from the story or anything.

By the way- I am _so_ sorry for not updating in forever. I just lack inspiration, and I've been too lazy to really do anything. Again, I apologize!

* * *

Rangiku and Yachiru watched as Sakura and Hisagi sparred against each other, quite impressed with the young girl's brute strength.

"She's really good, ne, Rangiku-chan?" Yachiru asked, looking up at the curvaceous woman. Rangiku nodded in agreement- they had never actually seen the girl fight until now. Needless to say, both were surprised with how much power lay within such a small woman. With an admiring tone in her voice, Yachiru exclaimed, "What does she say she was again? A _ninja_? Isn't that cool or what?"

Rangiku simply nodded again, engrossed with Hisagi and Sakura's spar. They had limited Sakura into using only three of her chakra techniques, no spirit energy. She had chosen her healing abilities, a fire-ball type of technique, and this cloning trick that baffled both Yachiru and Rangiku to no end. They were both faring well, considering Hisagi was allowed to use_ his_ spirit energy. Unfortunately, there were no zanpaktou used in this spar- only hand to hand combat and kido on Hisagi's part.

"Don't you think," Sakura panted, "that we should take a break, Hisagi-kun?" She asked, as she dodged a high kick from Hisagi. He nodded, jumping back a few meters. Sakura smiled wearily- she was exhausted already. It had been almost impossibly hard trying to dodge all of his kido spells- didn't they ever run out of spirit energy? Sakura took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of her lungs being filled with the much needed oxygen.

"That was awesome, Sakura-chan!" Yachiru cheered, running up to the kunoichi with a water bottle in her hand. She offered it to Sakura, who immediately accepted, thanking her. She chugged nearly half the bottle before placing the cap back on. "Being a ninja seems like so much fun!" Yachiru exclaimed, grinning up at Sakura. She laughed, half-heartedly._ Fun_? That was a strange word to describe it.

"It's not all it's cut out to be." She replied, her tone slightly tinged with sadness. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke for a moment, and how his abandonment caused such an impact to her and Naruto, to _everybody_. It shifted over to Tsunade, and the losses of her brother and Dan. Both whose dreams were of becoming the most powerful ninja in the village- the _Hokage_. She thought about the past Hokages- Sarutobi-sama, and the Yondaime. They both sacrificed their lives just to save the village.

"Why would you say that, Sakura-chan?" Yachiru asked, sounding so innocent and naive. Sakura shook her head. She didn't want to explain to her of the losses, sacrifice, and the many other things one had to deal with as a ninja. She figured it would be something similar to shinigami, since they too were risking their own souls as they fought hollows. Yachiru was slightly confused at what had caused the sudden change in Sakura's mood and decided to drop the subject.

Hisagi, who had only been a couple feet away at the time, had heard the entire exchange between both women. He was curious, but he didn't want to press into it if she was too uncomfortable to speak about it.

"Want some?" Sakura suddenly asked, offering the half-empty bottle of water to Hisagi. He nodded his head and Sakura tossed it to him. He caught it effortlessly and took off the lid before bringing the bottle to his lips.

Yachiru giggled in glee at the sight. Hisagi finished the rest of the water, wiping his mouth dry before twisting the cap back on.

"What's so funny, Yachiru-san?" Sakura asked, her eyebrow raised. Hisagi had a similar expression on his face, causing Yachiru to giggle even more. Rangiku walked up to her, sighing. What was the young girl laughing about _this_ time?

Instead of giving them a straight answer, Yachiru pointed to the water bottle and started singing, "Sakura and Hisagi sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She laughed. Sakura and Hisagi turned to each other before immediately turning away with a heavy blush on their cheeks a millisecond later. "Did you see that Rangiku-san? They look so cute together!" Yachiru exclaimed, curling her fingers and bringing both hands together in front of her face to make it look as if there was a heart-shaped border around the two.

Sakura coughed, "That was not a- a _kiss_!" Sakura sputtered out, obviously embarassed. Yachiru laughed some more, this time she was making kissy faces at the awkward couple. "Hisagi-kun, tell her that wasn't a kiss!" She demanded, at wit's end. Rangiku simply gaped at the entire scene. This was_ not_ going the way she planned! If this continued any further, any chances of her captain Sakura getting together would be destroyed!

"Well," Hisagi exclaimed, sounding thoughtful. "She does have a point, you know." Hisagi replied, looking over at Sakura with a serious-looking expression. Sakura gaped at him before noticing the light blush across his face and his lips twitching into a small smirk. Realization dawned upon her. He was _teasing_ her! She bit her lip to disguise her growing grin. "Do you have something to say to me? You were, after all, the one who offered me the bottle first, Sakura-_chan_."

Sakura couldn't stop the blush spreading across her face, but she did decide that two could play at this game.

"Well, _I_ personally hadn't known about this little fact. An indirect _kiss_? In all honesty, I'm surprised." Sakura exclaimed. "Say, Hisagi-kun, _you_ accepted the bottle, knowing it would technically be a kiss, did you not? Perhaps it's _you_ who would like to say something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. She tried to suppress the smile that was bubbling inside of her- it had been so long since she teased someone like this!

Everybody laughed at Hisagi's fully red face and his sputtering. "Don't worry, I was only teasing." Sakura said, poking him in the chest lightly. Hisagi's face remained red but he had finally stopped stuttering like an idiot. The two didn't notice as Yachiru grinned mischievously up at Rangiku, who merely stuck out her tongue in distaste.

"Sakura, didn't uh, Nanao say something about a couple of books earlier?" Rangiku asked, trying to separate Hisagi and Sakura. Her attempt was pathetic, and extremely obvious in Yachiru's eyes. Angrily, she acknowledged Rangiku's effort with a harsh glare of her own. If that's how things were going to be, then it was just fine with her.

"Oh yeah!" Sakura said. "It would be nice to read up on the things here. Everything's so... different."

Hisagi chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're having a good time. I better get going, but would you like to spar again sometime?" Hisagi asked, inwardly crossing his fingers for good luck. Sakura bit her lip to suppress her grin. She had been doing this often lately, not that she was complaining or anything.

"I'd love to-"

"Let's get going, now!" Rangiku exclaimed loudly, as she grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her away from the bewildered-looking Hisagi. Sakura grinned to herself, a light blush staining her cheeks. "Don't tell me he's got you all flustered, now, Sakura-chan!" Rangiku teased.

"Me? Flustered?" Sakura asked incredulously. She mentally applauded herself for not stuttering that time. "Of course not!"

_Of course_, is what she really meant.

**'Isn't this awesome? Shannaro! Score one for Sakura!'** Rosas exclaimed in glee. **'Finally! Your love life is now _not_ non-existant! Oh, I am so proud of you- of _us_!'**

Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'Not now, Rosas. Please, I'm in the middle of a conversation with Rangi-'

"It really seems you are, Sakura-san." Rangiku stated, suspiciously. "Of course, I'm only assuming because of the blush on your cheeks."

"Wait, what? I am _not_ blushing!" Sakura defended. It was a sad attempt, and to make it even worse, her face reddened. She glanced over at Yachiru, desperately hoping in some way that she would defend her.

"_I_ think you're lying, Sakura-chan." Yachiru teased, sticking out her tongue.

"You two are impossible!" Sakura exclaimed, trying her hardest not to stutter. Fortunately for her, she succeeded.

"We know." Rangiku replied, chuckling. "Now, to Nanao!"

* * *

Slim fingers tapped against the chair as Aizen sat there, thinking to himself.

"What a strange girl." Aizen stated, thoughtfully.

News had traveled fast. The pink-haired girl falling from the sky was not only bizarre, but worth looking into- according to Aizen, that is. She couldn't have come from just anywhere. Unfortunately for him, he could not risk sending troops down into Seireitei at the moment, so capturing the girl was not an option.

"Where do you think she came from?" Gin asked, his grin a little wider than usual.

"From another dimension, of course. Different than Ichigo Kurosaki's." Aizen replied. She _had_ to be from a different dimension. No shinigami, human, or hollow had her kind of powers. It wasn't the same as Orihime, whom Ulqiorra was currently guarding, nor was it the same as the quincy's, or any of the beings in the three dimensions he knew of.

Aizen closed his eyes in contemplation. If he were to find and capture other specimens similar to this girl, he would be able to research and maybe even find a way to use their powers. The energy she used, the one called 'chakra', it was quite a wonder. Aizen furrowed his brow. He had never seen _anything_ like it. If only he could get his hands on the mysterious energy...

He knew they had the technology to spirit energy and particles. Why should this 'chakra' energy be any different? He only needed one specimen, a living one he could use to extract the energy from said being and experiment with it. Once the specialists have found a way to duplicate and create more of the chakra, he could infuse it with the newly formed arrancar in the future.

However, there was always the possibility that maybe one specimen was not enough. Power and abilities differed between zanpaktou and even the humans. Kurosaki and the rest of his dysfunctional group were an excellent example of this.

A smile found its way on his lips. He would just have to gather more than one, wouldn't he?

It couldn't be _too_ hard. They had the element of surprise, after all. The unfortunate girl could not find her own way back to her home. As long as they found a way before she did, he would be able to start his experiments.

"Find the dimension she came from and open a portal connecting to Hueco Mundo."

* * *

"Your guys' history is so interesting! And all the different types of hollows- it's amazing. I've never heard of anything like this- I would've never guessed any of this existed." Sakura exclaimed, astounded. She had just skimmed over a couple of entries in 'Sereitei: History'.

Yachiru had told her a lot of things that Sakura had just recently read in the book, but the information was much more detailed. She thought a couple of articles were so unbelievable that she had to read them twice over before fully processing the ideas in her head.

"How are hollows amazing?" Yachiru queried. "They devour other souls!"

Panicking, Sakura tried to explain herself, "That's not what I meant! I was only sayi-"

Yachiru giggled, sticking her tongue out in a playful manner. "I know, I know, I was just joking!"

Sakura looked relieved- she did not want to offend one of her only friends here. Getting on the bad side of these people would definitely not be a smart move on her part. She skimmed through a couple more entries, trying to memorize all the information she could.

"Are you going to be reading all day or are you going to come train? I'm so bored!" Yachiru whined, pulling at her locks of pink hair. Rangiku nodded in agreement, looking at her nails with disinterest. Sakura sighed, she wanted to continue reading, but she didn't want the two women's boredom to increase any further.

"Sure, I'm up for anything. I can read these later on tonight." Sakura said, before placing the book down. The three headed back to the training field, where it was currently unoccupied.

"What are you three doing here?"

Or so they thought.

"Uh, hi taichou!" Rangiku exclaimed, laughing nervously. "We were going to start training, actually."

Yachiru glanced at Rangiku, wondering if she had known of his presence before they arrived. Rangiku subtly shrugged, both to her captain and to Yachiru, who had a difficult time believing her. After all, what were the chances that Toushirou would be at the same training field at the same time as when_ they_ decided to head over?

Toushirou sighed, sounding exasperated as usual. Could this woman be an more of a procrastinator? Irritatedly, he claimed, "You're supposed to be doing paperwork, Matsumoto."

"But Sakura here needed to-"

Toushirou fought the urge to roll his eyes. Excuses, excuses! Tonight, he refused to have _any_ of it.

"I'll take care of her." He declared. He nodded at Yachiru in greeting, who stayed silent during the small exchange. It was obvious to her that Hitsugaya was extremely irritated, and she wondered if leaving Sakura alone with him was such a good idea. Before she could protest, however, Rangiku started talking.

"I guess I'll see you later, Sakura. Have fun sparring with taichou!" Rangiku exclaimed, as she grabbed Yachiru and jogged off. The small girl looked extremely annoyed at having to leave Sakura alone with Toushirou, but decided not to speak against it. They didn't want to cause any suspicion- Sakura was, at all costs, _never_ to find out about the set-ups, that is, if you could even call it that.

"Hitsugaya-taichou." Sakura greeted him with a smile, albeit awkwardly. "How have you been today?"

"Fine." Toushirou replied, curtly. "And you?"

"Likewise."

An awkward, silent moment passed before Sakura decided to speak up again.

"So... What are you going to teach me?"

"What? Who said I was going to teach you anything?" Toushirou asked, raising a brow. He didn't want to deal with the girl who had been plaguing his thoughts lately, much to his chagrin. She was even more troublesome than Matsumoto!... _Sometimes_.

"Well, I _was_ going to spar with the other two, but you sent them off and said you'd take care of me. I just assumed that you'd teach me _something_ since we're already here in the training grounds." Sakura responded with a hopeful tone of voice. Although she wanted to read, she was also looking forward to sparring with Rangiku and Yachiru.

Toushirou sighed, "I ca-"

"You can't? I guess I'll go find Hisagi-ku-"

"No, no, that is not necessary." Toushirou replied, hastily. "Like I said before, it's my duty to take care of you starting now. And if you had not interrupted me, I would have been able to finish my statement."

Sakura's face reddened, obviously embarrassed by her actions. "Sorry, taichou."

Toushirou nodded in response. "As I was saying, I _can_ teach you how to control your zanpaktou more efficiently."

"Seriously? Sweet!" Sakura exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air, excitedly. She had been wondering exactly how she was going to learn how to wield Rosas, and now was the perfect opportunity. She was being taught by a captain, no less. Grinning widely, she clapped her hands together in anticipation. When she realized how silly she probably looked, she mentally scolded herself.

**'I'm starting to rub off on you, ne?'** Rosas exclaimed.

'You're a part of me so it's only expected that we would have _some_ similarities.' Sakura retorted.

Toushirou, unaware of the small conversation in Sakura's mind, unsheathed his sword. Sakura copied his actions, though less gracefully. Sure, she had trained with Tenten, but she only considered herself decent with throwing weapons like kunai and shuriken. She had less experience with sword-like weapons such as katanas. She knew the basics and a couple of neat tricks, but that was the extent of her knowledge on the particular subject.

"Can you call upon your zanpaktou's bankai form?" Toushirou asked. Sakura nodded, and did so. When Rosas appeared, Sakura grinned, running her fingers through the soft, white feathers. It still amazed her that inside her mind was another being, another creature. Not only that, but she was completely baffled by the fact she was capable of bringing her out so easily.

"What can it do?" Toushirou asked, curious. "I can't help you unless we know what we're dealing with."

Sakura nodded, and studied Rosas in a meticulous way. She felt pride swell up at how the majestic creature in front of her was a _part_ of her. There was so much potential at what she could accomplish with just a little training. Sakura's ambitious smile widened at the thought of what she could achieve.

**'Uh, I know how to fly.'** Rosas suggested, sounding unsure of herself. She flapped wings, hovering a meter or so above the ground. **'I didn't realize how good it felt to be out of your mind, even if I'm in the form of a bird. There's so much more freedom out here! It's exhilarating, really.'**

"Well? Do you know what it can do?" Toushirou repeated, impatiently. What was going on between the two? There were no words said, but it was obvious to him that they were communicating somehow.

"Well, she can fly." Sakura stated, dumbly.

"I see." Toushirou replied, nodding his head. He scrutinized the bird, trying to figure out what its possible ability could be. Sakura hopped on its back, her sword still in hand, and the giant bird started flapping its wings harder.

"Jeez, Rosas, is there anything else you can do besides fly?" Sakura asked, irritatedly. Rosas tried to squawk at her, but like earlier, no sound came out. Instead, a small sphere of fire materialized from within her beak, but it dispersed before it came too close to Sakura.

There was a moment of awe-stricken silence until Sakura spoke up, "Hey, cool, can you do that again?"

Rosas hesitated for a moment, **'Sure, I'll try. I feel strange, though.'**

'Strange? _How_?'

**'The closest I can compare this feeling to is when you're summoning elemental chakra.' **Rosas took a deep breath, trying her hardest to concentrate on the power within her. If she did it once, she could definitely do it again!

"What was that?" Toushirou suddenly exclaimed from below. He had seen a slight spark head towards Sakura. When she didn't reply, he figured she was too high up to hear him. Materializing spirit particles beneath his feet was an easy feat for captains, so in less than a second he was at Sakura and Rosas' eye level. By reflex, Rosas immediately flew back a couple meters.

"Hi taichou. You really didn't need to come all the way up here." Sakura stated, scratching her head sheepishly. Toushirou shook his head, eying her warily. Sakura frowned, miffed by her captain's suspiciousness. She hadn't done anything to even suggest that she was going to hurt anybody. In fact, all she had done so far was prove that she _wasn't_.

Displeased, Sakura boldly demanded, "What are you giving me that look for?"

"What was that?" He repeated his earlier question, ignoring her question. He seemed to have to repeat things more often, lately. This time Sakura shrugged, but stated that Rosas had created a small flame to erupt from her beak.

Toushirou rose a brow. "Show me."

Rosas craned her neck to look back at Sakura, who nodded. Rosas then took a deep breath, gathered the energy inside of her, and let out a pressurized burst of water. Another silence ensued, until Sakura inwardly smacked her forehead in aggravation.

**'Eheheheh...'** Rosas sheepishly laughed.

"I swear, last time it was fire!" Sakura proclaimed, surprised. Rosas decided to try once more and spat out another energy ball, except this time it was made of earth. Sakura sighed, though she couldn't say that she wasn't pleased with the results. Three elements? That was pretty good. "Nice try, Rosas."

'Can you control which element you want to use?' Sakura thought. Rosas raised her head and spat three small spheres of fire, then inwardly nodded her head in confirmation. Sakura knew Rosas was probably smirking to herself for successfully surprising her like that. 'Which ones do you have?'

**'Earth, fire, and water.'**

'My elements? That makes sense, I guess. Did you use spirit energy or _chakra_?'

**'I think it's spirit energy.'**

'Oh, well tha-'

"Try shaping the spirit energy." Toushirou suggested, unknowingly interrupting Sakura's mental conversation. "Try a spike of some sort."

While Toushirou trained Rosas, Sakura took it upon herself to practice her kidou, as well as walking on air by using spirit particles. Hours flew by, and soon the two were exhausted. Rosas had returned into her former state and Sakura had collapsed onto the ground.

"So, did she make any progress, taichou?"

"Quite. Rosas is indeed... Talented. Strange for a zanpaktou, but nonetheless just as useful. She can control and shape things with ease, but she really must practice on the size and strength of each element." Toushirou stated, staring down at the sword in curiosity.

He had helped the sword to hone its skills, but he had also been analyzing the zanpaktou at the same time. He had come to a conclusion that Rosas can control nothing but spirit energy, whereas Sakura can control both. Rosas was Sakura's only connection to the spirit energy, it seemed.

"Thanks for training her, taichou." Sakura murmured all of a sudden. She looked down and stroked the hilt of her sword delicately. "I really appreciate your efforts."

"It's my job, Sakura-san." Toushirou replied, trying to brush it off, but Sakura only continued.

"Not just this." Sakura stated, looking back up to meet his eyes with newly found confidence. "For everything you and the others here in Soul Society have done for me." Sakura said softly, bowing low.

"I know it's strange that I ended up here of all places, and I know that I'm not exactly trusted yet, but if you give me a chance, I'll show you how loyal I can be." Sakura continued.

"Why does it matter to you if I trust you or not, Sakura-san?"

"If I never find a way back home, I was hoping that maybe I could stay here. I promise I'll train constantly, and I won't be a hindrance to anyone." Sakura replied, clutching her zanpaktou tighter. "If I become useful to you and the rest of Seireitei, you wouldn't try to get rid of me, right?"

"Correct."

That is, Toushirou thought to himself, _if_ she could prove to Seireitei that she could be trustworthy and loyal.

"It is getting late, we must head back to our sleeping quarters." Toushirou suggested. Reluctantly, he added, "I'll accompany you."

"Alright." Sakura agreed, and the two started walking side by side. The silence was comfortable, though there were slight awkward moments when their fingers would brush accidentally.

"So, what do you usually do besides train, go on missions, and paperwork?" Sakura asked, trying to start up a conversation. She wasn't entirely sure her captain was comfortable or not. She didn't want him to feel awkward or unwanted.

When Toushirou didn't reply, Sakura's face reddened with embarrassment. "Nevermind then, it was just a stupid ques-"

"Nothing really." Toushirou interrupted her. Sakura smiled, glad he had decided to finally answer her question. Now that she knew he was willing to converse with her, she decided to comment.

"Seriously? That must be boring." She stated. "Then again, I was like that back home in Konoha."

"Oh, really? And what exactly was your job?" Toushirou asked, both out of curiosity and politeness.

"I was a medic-nin." Sakura said, proudly. "I loved my job. Sure, it was hard at first..."

Toushirou nodded his head, listening as she started to explain everything. Her voice had a wistful tone to it, and he knew that she still missed her home terribly.

"... The feeling you get when you successfully save someone's life- it's_ amazing_, taichou. I can't explain it with words, it's too intense for that." Sakura continued on, obviously passionate about the subject. "Everybody would be so relieved and happy; the patients, their families. _I_ was happy, being able to make a difference and actually help around the hospital. I wasn't a burden there-"

Toushirou chuckled lightly, and Sakura stopped her rambling to look at him confusedly. She wondered if she had said anything to make sound like an idiot, but couldn't think of any. There was _nothing_ humiliating about her job. When Toushirou noticed her confused gaze, he decided to speak up.

"A burden? From what you have demonstrated to I and the other captains, I am surprised to hear that you feel as if you were weighing anyone down." He explained.

Sakura found herself at a loss for any words, and instead settled for laughing as well. Toushirou, who had noticed the sudden change in her demeanor, decided to apologize if he had said anything wrong.

"No, no, you don't need to apologize, taichou. Really. I was just thinking."

"Hm."

"Yeah. I mean, I've worked so hard, but I... Uh... Nevermind." Sakura finished, lamely. She inwardly smacked herself for nearly bringing up the Uchiha that was constantly disturbing her thoughts. She didn't want to bore her captain or make herself seem like a weak, sulking fool. In an attempt to change the subject, Sakura decided to ask a question about her captain. "So, uh, how was your day?"

Toushirou, who decided to ignore the question, continued with the previous topic and asked Sakura, "You do not wish to talk about it?"

"Well, I've talked too much about myself, whereas I know barely anything about you." Sakura replied with an embarrassed blush lightly staining her cheeks once she realized her attempt at switching topics failed miserably. Sticking her tongue out, she added, "I don't want you to think I'm self-centered or anything, now."

Toushirou chuckled again. "Don't worry, Sakura-san, I do not think you are self-centered in the slightest." He said, the corners of his mouth lifting upwards in a small smile. He really meant it, especially after she had revealed her thoughts about being a medic-nin. If what she said was true, then she would be one of the _least_ selfish people he had the chance of meeting.

"Besides, I have to admit, I am quite interested in why you would ever think of yourself a nuisance, Sakura-san." Toushirou stated.

"Ah, well, it's nothing important. It's in the past, you know? As long as I've proven myself stronger now, I'm sure it's all okay." Sakura replied, smiling to herself.

"You know, the fourth squad is in charge of treating injuries. Have you met Kotetsu-san?"

"Yup." Sakura nodded with a smile. "She was really nice. I plan on visiting her more often in the future."

"Well, considering you seem to specialize in medicine and such, it would not be hard for me to transfer you to the fourth division, if you'd like." Toushirou offered, looking away. He didn't want to see her eager expression if she decided to leave _his_ squad.

Inwardly, he scolded himself for acting like such a fool. 'Why would it matter if she switched divisions?' He thought, harshly. '_I_ certainly wouldn't care.'

Sakura stayed silent for a moment, surprised at the sudden offer. Sure, it would be nice being able to heal people again, but she really enjoyed being in the tenth squad. Rangiku-san and her taichou were the first people that really welcomed her. She felt as if it was her duty to help them out in turn for bringing her into their squad.

"Thank you, taichou, but it really isn't necessary. I'd like it more if I stayed in the tenth squad with you."

Toushirou relaxed, surprised he had been so tense only seconds before. What was going on with him? "If that is what you wish."

"Well, we're here. Thank you for walking me, taichou." Sakura exclaimed, bowing before she headed inside. "Good night, taichou!"

"Good night, Sakura."

* * *

Sakura yawned, rubbing her eyes as she swung her legs over the bed. Once she removed her hands from her eyes, she found both Yachiru and Matsumoto staring at her. "What the-?!" She yelped in surprise as she nearly fell back on her bed.

"Relax, relax. We just got here." Rangiku explained. "We're here to take you to meet the last lieutenant."

Sakura looked confusedly. "Uh, who was that again?" She could have sworn they had met all the lieutenants yesterday.

"Renji Abarai. They had come back just hours ago and are being treated for injuries." Rangiku answered, then proceeded to hand Sakura a bundle of clothes before ushering her into the bathroom. "Now hurry up and take a shower. We'll be waiting here."

"You know what? We should throw a party for the return of Orihime-chan!" Yachiru suggested enthusiastically. With a mischevious glint in her eyes, she continued on with her idea. "We'll invite your taichou and Hisagi-kun, of course. We should have a contest of some sort."

"A contest, eh?" Rangiku asked, slightly suspicious.

"Yeah. A contest. A _sake_-drinking contest." Yachiru beamed up at her, knowing very well Rangiku would not turn down the offer. "You can enter too, you know."

Rangiku excitedly exclaimed, "Count me in!"

Inwardly, however, she groaned in frustration. There was no way her taichou was ever going to agree to a drinking contest- realization dawned upon her as Yachiru's plan became clear. There was no way for Toushirou to join the contest, meaning Hisagi would most likely end up winning. Rangiku's eyes widened in horror. That devious girl!

"Alright! The one who wins gets-"

"Wait a second. Before I agree to this, there has to be one condition. I'm in for taichou." Rangiku interrupted, placing her hands on her hips.

"You can't do that!" Yachiru argued. "That's- that's cheating!"

"Just like how it's cheating that the contest is something taichou would never participate in." Rangiku shot back, smugly. Instead of answering back, Yachiru pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, disappointed her plan had been foiled so quickly.

"Okay fine." Yachiru muttered, still pouting.

Rangiku patted her head, grinning. "Now, what will the prize be? It has to be something g-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a click was heard and Sakura stepped out of the washroom, towel-drying her hair. "So, are we heading over to Kotetsu-san's division?"

"Mmhm! Come on, let's go!" Yachiru said, hurrying them out. Rangiku shot her a look that meant they would talk privately later. Yachiru subtly nodded in reply as she pulled Sakura in the direction of the hospital.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Sakura asked, curious as to why Yachiru was pulling so hard.

"I want to see Orihime-chan and the others." Yachiru replied. Satisfied with her answer, Sakura stayed quiet until they finally made it to the hospital.

Once they reached their destination, Sakura felt a pang of homesickness as she watched everybody bustle about. Despite the different surroundings, the hospital here in Seireitei had the same atmosphere as the one in Konoha. She wistfully sighed as she remembered her workplace and the other doctors and nurses who she would work together with.

"We need someone over here!"

Sakura hesitated only for a moment and looked towards the direction the voice had come from, wishing she could head over there and assist them in some way. Instead, she allowed Yachiru to pull her along until they reached a large room. Inside were many people, most of them injured. One woman with ginger hair was bent over a man with similar hair color. A glowing shield surrounded the man, and to Sakura's amazement, the small remnants of scratches disappeared before her very eyes.

It seemed as if the woman had been working on her patient for quite a while now, and was looking exhausted. She was just about to move onto an injured, red-haired man lying down to the cot next to the ginger-haired one, but Yachiru suddenly ran up to her.

"Orihime-chan! I'm glad everybody's back."

"Sorry Yachiru-chan, I cannot speak with you at the moment. I still need to help-"

"I'll do it." Sakura volunteered. Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't even realized the girl was there and felt guilty for not noticing earlier. Sakura smiled in understanding."I'm Sakura, by the way."

"I'm Orihime. It's nice to meet you." Orihime replied, giving Sakura a smile of her own. Sakura bent over the red-haired man and carefully started healing the man. Instead of summoning her chakra, however, she tried using spirit energy and worked at fixing broken tissue. "Thank you for your help. I was getting tired."

"It's really no problem." Sakura stated, finishing up the job. She placed her hands on her hips and admired her handiwork, glad she was not losing her touch, even when she was using a different type of energy. However, she needed to continue training with her chakra, otherwise her reserves would shrink. She summoned some chakra to her fingertips, relishing the feel of the familiar energy.

Rangiku, Yachiru, and Orihime started to converse with one another and so Sakura headed towards the other patients in need of some care. The one closest to her had dark, navy hair, and reminded her of Sasuke. Sakura carefully moved glasses that were placed on the side of the cot to a table in the center of the room. She couldn't help but frown when she noticed how poor his condition was, even though he was bandaged. Major wounds had been taken care of, but other than that, not much had been done.

She gently placed her hands on his chest, though this time she decided to summon her chakra. The man suddenly grabbed her wrist, startling her. "What do you think you're doing?" He rasped. His hold on her wrist was quite firm for someone as wounded as he.

"Healing you." Sakura replied, blatantly. She raised a brow when he refused to loosen his hold on her, and was ready to knock him unconscious with a quick chakra-to-head trick she had picked up from Tsunade, until the man started to speak once again.

"What is that?... It's not spirit energy."

"It's called chakra. Now stop talking, you'll only strain yourself." Sakura orded, prying his hand off as gently as she could before placing them at his side. She watched as he gazed up at her with suspicious eyes. A couple of minutes passed, yet his suspicious expression was the exact same. When she finally had enough of it, she glared back. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?_ Relax._"

Unfortunately for Sakura, he only remained tense as he scrutinized her every moment. Slightly peeved off, Sakura summoned more chakra to speed up the healing, which only caused him to tense even more. She inwardly sighed, finally deciding to use spirit energy instead of chakra.

When she finished, she quickly made her way towards a petite, black-haired woman, but she was already completely healed. "Oh, I already helped Rukia and Chad over there." Orihime called out. Sakura nodded and started to walk towards them, but was stopped when she felt a small tug on her shirt.

She turned around to find that it was the man who reminded her of Sasuke. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice sounding so dry.

"I'm Sakura." She stated, deciding to head over to the nearest sink and pour some water into a clean, white cup. When she was back at the man's bedside, she asked, "Are you still too tired or can you sit up?"

When his attempt failed, Sakura gently eased him up before placing the cup to his lips to let him drink.

"Thanks." He muttered, looking away with an embarrassed expression. He felt ashamed, having to rely on such a fragile looking girl. However, he was willing to swallow his pride. He was curious about that strange healing energy she had been using. It most certainly was not spirit energy, nor was it Orihime's wound rejecting shield.

"It's nothing." She replied, smiling.

"I guess you two are already acquainted with each other?" Rangiku said as she and the other two women walked up from behind Sakura. "Anyhow, we're having a party later tonight in celebration for getting Orihime here back." Rangiku exclaimed, patting Orihime on the back. "With everybody here healed, I'm sure you'll all be able to attend."

"Actually, Rangiku-san, I was thinking of training toni-" Sakura started hastily. She really needed to brush up on her ninjutsu.

"Nonsense, nonsense! This is a time for celebration! It'll be a good opportunity for you to become acquainted with the people who have returned." Rangiku interrupted, persuading her to agree.

"Well, if you say so." Sakura said, changing her mind. It would be more advantageous if she befriended more people here in Soul Society. Besides, there would be plenty of other chances to train. If anything, she still needed to become stronger- and speaking of stronger, what had happened to her body? Now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen it last night or much of yesterday.

"Rangiku-san, what happened to my body?"

"We gave it to Kurotsuchi-taichou for testing."

"What?!" Sakura practically yelled. "I- He's- How could-"

"Joking!" Rangiku exclaimed, laughing. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. Your body is fine. I had some girls from the fourth squad tend to it. The clothes were all ripped up, so we replaced them. We were going to throw them away but we still have them if you'd like to kee-"

"I can fix them." Ishida suggested. When it looked as if Sakura was about to decline, he added, "As repayment for healing me, Sakura-san."

"Great! I'll be back in a second." Rangiku clapped her hands together before walking out of the room.

There was a moment of silence before Sakura grabbed the man's glasses from the table and returned it to him. "Thanks, uhm..."

"Uryuu Ishida."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"You really don't need to-"

"I'm back!" Rangiku exclaimed, stepping into the room with a pile of torn clothes a needle, and an armful of various threads. Handing them to Uryuu, she asked, "Do you need anything else?"

"Nope, this will do."

* * *

"_Naruto_! Calm down this instant!" Tsunade ordered sternly. "If Sakura managed to get held up somehow, she will be able to handle it."

"But what if something really bad happened to her? You have to let me go search for her!" Naruto slammed on the desk, emphasizing his desperation. Tsunade stood up, frustrated with the stubborn man in front of her.

"What are you trying to say?" She asked, slamming her hands on the desk as well. "Do you not believe in her abilities?" Tsunade accused, glaring heatedly at the blonde boy.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, incredulously. "Of course I do! It's just that-"

"I understand that you are worried, but we must wait at least three days before sending a team to search." Tsunade interrupted. Inside, she was anxious for Sakura to come back, too. Unlike Kakashi, Sakura was _always_ punctual. It was highly unusual for her, who was strict when it came to schedules and time limits, to be_ this_ late, even if it was only a couple of hours.

"Fine! Fine! But when the third day comes and she's _still_ not here, I'm leaving whether you allow me to or not!"

* * *

End of chapter! TBC.

Correct me if I'm wrong on the bleach character information- like names, and how they're normally called. I don't know much of nick-names, and those honorifics.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!


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